FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a silver film camera which has a function of an electronic imaging device having an electronic image pick-up device for converting an object image into an electrical signal, and a function of a silver film photographing device for forming an object image on a silver film, and in which the object image picked up by the electronic imaging device can be displayed.
Conventionally, a camera for both silver film photographing and electronic imaging has been known. The camera exposes a silver film to an object image, and at the same time stores in a memory the object image which has been photoelectrically converted by the electronic image pick-up device. For example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. Hei 1-114169 discloses a single-lens reflex camera in which a part of an light beam transmitted from an object through an optical system is reflected by a half mirror to form an image of the object on an image pick-up device while the other part of the object light beam is transmitted through the half mirror to form an image of the object on a film. The image pick-up device converts the formed image into an image signal. A display device uses the image signal to display the object image, so that the image formed on the film can be confirmed.
In addition, recently there is on the market a camera which can be loaded with a film coated with a magnetic material in order to record various kinds of information. The magnetically recorded information includes a photographing date, a number of prints, and the like. The number of prints is set by a user after or before a photographing operation.
However, this camera has the following problems: If the number of prints is set after the photographing, the photographer has to remember the photographed scene. If the number of prints is set before the photographing, the composition and shutter timing of the resultant photograph may possibly be different from those intended by the photographer.
Under the circumstances, setting the number of prints is a function which is difficult for the photographer to use.
Thus, one thinks of using the technique disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. Hei 1-114169 so as to watch the display device immediately after a photographing, decide whether the photographed image is appropriate, and then set a number of prints. However, if the number of prints of a certain frame is set after a frame next to the certain frame has been photographed, it is necessary to rely upon the memory of the photographer, because the image of the certain frame cannot be confirmed on the display device.
Further, when setting the numbers of prints for a developed film, the user refers to an index print (print of a series of photographs taken on a roll of film) to instruct a processing laboratory to make desired numbers of prints. However, the user must always store both of the film and the index print, keeping their correspondence, thus their management is troublesome.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds