CN1015942B - Automatic focusing mechanism for camera - Google Patents

Abstract

An autofocus camera is operable between daylight and flash modes, automatically sensing response to ambient light. The lens is operable between a near focus and a far focus setting, the far focus setting being automatically taken in daylight mode. In the flash mode, the aperture automatically takes its maximum value, while in the daylight mode, the aperture automatically takes one of at least two reduced aperture settings. The largest aperture setting in daylight mode corresponds to the hyper-focal aperture setting of the afocal lens setting. Further reduction of the aperture below the hyperfocal value is controlled by film sensitivity and ambient light sensing. The conversion of daylight and flash modes is also controlled by the film sensitivity.

Description

The technical field of this invention is photographic cameras, in particular cameras that provide an autofocus feature.

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Patent Application Nos. 785,572, filed October 8, 1985 and 891,360, filed July 29, 1986.

A large number of relatively inexpensive still cameras are manufactured today with autofocus capability and/or autoexposure control controlled by ambient lighting when shooting outdoors, or by sensing object distance when using flash mode to control. Distance sensing for controlling lens focus and exposure in flash mode is provided by various systems. Methods of ranging by means of ultrasonic pulses generated by cameras, electronic comparison of images in split-image rangefinders, and reflection amplitudes of infrared pre-flashes are well described in the patent literature. In flash mode, exposure control is typically controlled by the aforementioned distance While in the ambient lighting mode exposure is typically controlled by some form of weighted value of scene illuminance detected by the light sensor.

In the case of mid-range and high-end cameras, such systems are usually provided, while in the case of low-cost cameras, the expense of providing such a distance sensing system is prohibitive. Moreover, such low-cost cameras are generally not purchased for use by avid amateurs, but rather by people who either rarely use cameras, or are less experienced, or both. Even the most basic manual exposure and focus adjustments are often overlooked by such users.

Thus, in the range of low-cost cameras there is still a need for a fully automatic focus and exposure system which gives quite satisfactory results in both focus and exposure in the hands of a completely inexperienced person.

According to one of the inventive features of the present application, a flash camera equipped with an ambient lighting sensor and a lens capable of focusing between near and far focus positions is automatically coupled to operate a two-position exposure control, preferably The stroke of the variable-aperture pulse-type shutter is precisely controlled. When the detected ambient light is very weak, it means that flash lighting is required, and when the shutter release mechanism is activated, the relevant control mechanism sets the shutter aperture to its maximum value, that is, f/4.5, and at the same time sets the lens focus at 5 feet to 12 feet Close focus range. In this way, the reduced depth of field associated with large shutter apertures is compensated by adjusting the lens to a focus range suitable for short distance flash operation. On the other hand, if sufficient ambient lighting is sensed, as is often the case when shooting outdoors in bright sunlight, the combination of focus and aperture is automatically controlled, providing a smaller aperture such as f/8, and setting the focus of the lens to the hyperfocal distance corresponding to this aperture, for example 12 feet for a 55 mm lens, by this means the camera is automatically placed in sharp focus from half the hyperfocal distance to infinity when exposed to daylight . In this way, the need for an expensive distance sensing system is eliminated.

Another feature of the present invention is that the aperture corresponding to f/8 when the hyperfocal lens is set can be automatically further reduced for photographic film of higher sensitivity. Therefore, it has the effect of further clearing the image of objects located near the boundary of the depth of field, that is, 6 feet and infinity. In accordance with a related feature of the invention, the transition from daylight to flash mode is also controlled by film speed.

Other advantages and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent upon reference to the following description, claims and drawings.

Although there are presently camera systems that use a manually set two-position focus system that can be used selectively in a manually set flash mode and a normal operating mode, to the best of applicant's knowledge, there has so far been no such system that automatically sets these Parametric camera production.

Figure 1 is a partial view of the main parts of a camera with photosensitive control focus and aperture adjustment, showing the system at rest with the shutter open.

Figure 2 shows the system of Figure 1 before the shutter drive pulley is released, at which point the system is in short focus and maximum aperture.

Figure 3 shows the system of Figure 1, but changed to a long distance focus and reduced aperture regime.

Fig. 4 shows the system of Fig. 1 in a static state before beginning to reopen the shutter.

Fig. 5 is a partial top plan view of the system shown in 1-4, which generally corresponds to the state shown in Fig. 2, ie the close focus configuration.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 but showing the system in the long distance focus state.

Fig. 7 is a partial view of the lens barrel assembly, opposite to the lens barrel assembly is a pair of aperture adjustment blades.

Figure 8 is a partial perspective view showing the profiling action of four ramps mounted on the front wall of the camera to apply an axial force to a portion of the barrel assembly of Figure 7 to change the focus position of the lens.

Fig. 9 is a block diagram showing an electronic control system of the camera.

Figure 10 shows the components of an electrically controlled braking system for providing two aperture settings in the daylight mode (travel mode), the structure shown allowing the aperture to be closed smaller than its hyperfocus setting.

FIG. 11 shows the system of FIG. 10 in a state where the aperture is set at the hyperfocus setting position.

The subject of the present invention is a photographic aperture and focus adjustment system controlled entirely by ambient light sensing. Figures 1 and 5 show the configuration of the main parts of the system in partial schematic form. The system shown in Figure 1 is at rest with the shutter open. Through the connection of a lens focusing ring 7, the viewfinder lens 50 (see Fig. 7) is moved along the optical axis 30 of the system. As can be seen in Figure 1, turning the focus ring 7 counterclockwise moves the focus range of the lens 50 from the short-distance focus position to the long-distance focus position, and the counterclockwise movement of the focus ring 7 is connected to it Guided by spring 8. The focus control solenoid coil 13 is selectively driven by the photosensitive control sensor flash system 42 (FIG. 9) and acts on the armature 12 connected to the focus locking lever 9, which is rotatably mounted in the center. on the shaft 10 and pushed clockwise by the tension spring 11. The detent end 9a normally abuts against the outer edge of the focus ring 7, which is either normally in the retracted position shown in Figure 1, or changed to a released position so that the detent lockably engages the groove 7b on the focus ring. snap together to prevent adjustment when the system is adjusted The focus ring rotates.

A pair of aperture control blades 27 , 28 overlap each other and are mounted on a common spindle 29 . Each blade has an aperture slot 27a or 28a positioned to form a passable common area through which the pin 26 mounted on the aperture control slide 21 passes. The opening slots 27a, 28a form an angle with each other. Moving the pin 26 to the left causes the blades to rotate together so that the aperture of the optical system is closed down. Thus, according to whether the pin 26 is moved to the left or to the right, the aperture of the camera can be adjusted between extreme values.

Aperture control slide 21 is slidably mounted on guide pins 22-22 and can be caught by blocking bosses 22a-22a (FIG. 6) on main assembly wall 35, allowing aperture control slide body 21 to be seen in FIG. Left-right movement. The aperture control slide 21 is pulled to the left by a spring 36 . When the system is in the shutter open position, the aperture control solenoid coil 25 engages with the armature 24 fixed on the right hand end of the aperture control slide and has the ability to overcome the tension of the spring 36.

The lens shutter sliding plate 2 is slidably mounted on the front surface of the main assembly wall 35 by means of pins 3-3, and can be clamped by the blocking bosses 3a-3a. In this way, the lens shutter sliding plate 2 can also slide linearly between the left and right positions as seen in FIG. 1 .

The focusing release lever 4 rotatably installed on the mandrel 5 is pushed clockwise by the return spring 6, and the release lever 4 is also provided with a groove 4a, which locks against the extended boss 2a of the lens shutter slide plate 2, so that the Part 2 remains in the rightmost position. In addition, the lens shutter slide 2 engages with the pin 23 on the aperture control slide 21 to maintain the aperture control slide at its maximum position against the force of its return spring 36 as its armature 24 contacts the aperture control solenoid 25. right position. This structure also engages with the outwardly extending flange E of the peripheral shoulder line 3 of the focus ring through the extension boss 2a, and resists the focus drive spring 8, so that the focus ring 7 is in an extremely clockwise position.

Turning the focus release lever 4 counterclockwise enough to disengage the extension boss 2a will remove the opposing force from the focus ring boss E, allowing the focus ring 7 to be driven counterclockwise by its drive spring 8 . There is no resistance from the lens shutter slide 2 because this part is not directly spring biased. If the aperture control solenoid coil remains energized during operation, the lens shutter slide plate 2 will only be driven to move when the focus ring boss E rotates. If at this stage, the aperture control solenoid 25 is not energized, the aperture control slide 21 will be further pushed in the same direction by engaging with the pin 23 . The main function of the lens shutter slide 2 is simply to return the system to the shutter open condition during a film winding operation.

Consider now the basic sequence of operations of the various systems shown when framing a view. Pressure applied to the shutter button acts on the release slide 14, which is slidably mounted on the pins 15-15, to move downwardly, due to the effect of the cam surface 44 of the release slide 14, the downward movement of the release slide 14 begins immediately. Push the switch contacts 19-20 into contact. The focus trigger switch 46 (see FIG. 9 ) representing the switch contacts 19-20 is immediately actuated to the closed state, causing one of the two solenoid coils 13, 25 to be actuated to on in accordance with the sensing of the ambient lighting photosensor 48. state. The further descent of the release slide 14 causes the opening 40 to drive one end of the focus release lever 4, causing the 4 to rotate counterclockwise, thereby disengaging the groove 4a at the end of the focus release lever from contacting the extended boss 2a of the lens shutter slide 2 s position. As will be discussed in detail in turn, the focus and aperture systems are independently adjusted.

The release slide 14 has an opening 14a through which an extension 16a of the shutter release member 16 pushed up by a drive spring 17 extends. The opening 14a is made long enough so that when the release slide 14 is in its uppermost position, there is a substantial distance between the upper truncated edge of the opening 14a and the opposite edge of the shutter release member extension 16a. The shutter driving sliding plate 18 is locked in the shutter opening position by the shutter release member 16, and is pushed to the left by a sliding plate driving spring (not shown). After system adjustment is complete, the final downward movement of the shutter release member 16 causes the release of the shutter drive slide, which then closes to the left, driving the shutter (not shown) through one exposure cycle. Release of the downward pressure on the release slide 14 under the influence of an associated position spring (not shown) causes the slide to move upward, causing the switch contacts 19-20 to pop open, causing the solenoid coils 13, 25 to return to Static non-energized state. A representation of this situation is best shown in Figure 4.

The specific form of the shutter release and reopen shutter system actuated by the shutter actuation slide 18 can be varied, such as that disclosed in applicant's U.S. Patent No. 4,595,261, issued June 17, 1986. Among them, this application discloses the application of the eccentric pin driven by the film winding system. When the film is wound, the eccentric pin pushes the shutter driving slide plate 18 shown in FIG. 1 to the shutter open state. Returning the system from the release configuration shown in FIG. 4 to the shutter-open state shown in FIG. 1 is performed by a similar eccentric pin system, and in fact this eccentric pin system can be combined with the eccentricity that restores the shutter drive slide 18 to the shutter-open state. The pin system is connected or combined.

Thus, in particular according to FIGS. 1, 4 and 6, an eccentric pin 1a mounted on the shutter rotor 1 is turned against the lens shutter slide. The extension 2b on the plate 2 is positioned such that the first half turn moves the lens shutter slide 2 from the release position shown in FIG. 6 to its rightmost position. Remember that when the film is wound, the focus release lever 4 is pressed clockwise, and when the shutter rotor 1 turns half a turn, the extended boss E of the focus ring 7 initially engages with the extended convex surface 2a of the lens shutter slider 2, Turn the focus ring 7 clockwise, because when the film is wound, the solenoid coils 13, 25 are not powered, and the aperture control slider 21 will be in the leftward position as shown in Figure 3, and the lens shutter slider 2 will be pushed as a result Engage with the pin 23 of the aperture control slide plate 21 to move the aperture control slide plate 21 into a position in contact with the aperture control solenoid coil 25 . At the end of this process, the groove 4a on the focus release lever 4 falls into a locking engagement with the extended convex surface 2a of the lens shutter slide 2 again, so that the entire system is locked in the shutter open state as shown in Figure 1 .

Consider below in detail the operation of the camera's focus adjustment and aperture control auxiliary system during viewfinding, remembering that the two solenoid coils 13, 25 are selectively energized according to the ambient light photosensitive device. The details of the control loop to accomplish this, shown in Figure 9, will be discussed in turn. Now it can be said that when framing, if the ambient light is relatively low, indicating that the camera will be used in flash mode ("near" mode), the aperture control solenoid 25 will be energized throughout the framing. The focus control solenoid coil 13 is still in a non-energized state. In this way, referring to FIG. 2, it will be seen that due to the removal of the engagement between the groove 4a on the focus release lever 4 and the extended convex surface 2a on the lens shutter slide 2, the lens focus ring 7 is immediately pushed to rotate counterclockwise. Because the focus control solenoid coil 13 is not energized, the pawl 9a on the end of the focus lock lever 9 is pushed by a spring. make it bear against the rim of the focus ring 7 and drop into the focus ring locking groove 7b to prevent the focus ring from turning before the actual rotation takes place, which, as will be shown in succession, is not enough to turn the The lens 50 is moved from its short distance focus position so that the lens focus is maintained at an optimum distance of approximately 7 feet.

It will be noted in Fig. 2 that when the focus ring rotates initially, the freely movable lens shutter slide 2 has been pushed to the leftmost limit position of its stroke by the impact force transmitted to it by the convex part E of the focus ring 7 . It will further be noted that by maintaining the aperture control solenoid coil 25 in the energized state throughout the process, the aperture control slide 21 will remain in its extreme right end position against the force of the spring 36 mounted thereon, also maintaining the pin 26 is in the extreme right position. As a result, the aperture blades 27, 28 are maintained at a large aperture. This keeps the aperture at its maximum value as the lens is placed into close focus. The camera is properly placed for "near" (flash) mode operation. A nominal value of f/4.5 for a 55mm lens yields a characteristic focus zone from 5 feet to 12 feet, which is appropriate for the normal working range of an inexpensive flash camera.

On the other hand, if the light sensor 48 detects bright ambient light, the focus control solenoid 13 will be energized while the camera is still in the shutter-open state shown in FIG. power-on state. This puts the camera in "tele" mode. A representation of what happens once the focus release lever groove 4a has disengaged from the extended convex surface 2a of the lens shutter slide 2 is shown in FIG. 3 . The focus lock lever 9 is maintained in the retracted position relative to the movement of the lens focus ring 7, with the result that the focus ring 7 rotates counterclockwise - a considerable amount, when the lens shutter slide 2 is pushed to the extreme left position due to Engage with the pins 3 and 3 that cooperate with it and stop. At this time, because the extension boss E of the focus ring 7 is against the extension convex surface 2a of the lens shutter slider 2, the rotation is stopped. As will be shown later, this rotation So move the lens to the long focus (no flash) position. A hyperfocal distance of 12 feet is better produced, thus providing sharp focus from 6 feet to infinity.

For the aperture control system, it will be noted that the solenoid coil 25 is de-energized with the aperture control. The aperture control slide 21 is free to move to the left, and since the lens shutter slide 2 has completely passed the pin 23 on the aperture control slide, as a result, the aperture control slide has moved to the left. Its function is to push the aperture blade control pin 26 to move to the left along the opening grooves 27a, 28a on the aperture blades 27, 28, so that the two blades rotate together to the position of narrowing the aperture. The focal length of the lens 50 determined by the rotation of the ring 7 is selected together with the focusing position, as shown in FIG. 3, to provide the above-mentioned optimum hyperfocal distance of 12 feet. This is accomplished by making the aperture control blades 27, 28 constitute the stop-down structure shown in Figure 3, establishing a focal ratio of approximately f/8 in the system.

The details of the focus ring 7 moving the lens 50 between the two focus positions are best shown in FIGS. 5, 6, 7 and 8 . The lens barrel assembly 54 securely holds the objective lens 50. The lens barrel assembly has a cylindrical outer surface 66 that slides through a hole 60 in the camera front wall 33. The main assembly wall 35 has a cylindrical through hole 56 opposite to the front wall hole. 60 coaxial arrangement. The lens barrel assembly 54 is firmly fixed on the focus ring 7 , and the ripple spring 32 is installed between the front surface 62 of the focus ring and the rear surface 64 of the front wall for pushing the lens barrel assembly 54 away from the front wall 33 . Four inclined surfaces 31 extending forward are fixed on the main assembly wall 35 to extend forward. The inherent action of the bellows spring 32 is to urge the rear surface of the focus ring against the ramp. The positions of these bevels 31-31 are also shown in dashed outline in Figures 1-4. adjust With the focus ring 7 in the shutter open position (FIG. 1) or slightly rotated (FIG. 2) close-up mode, the ramps 31-31 push the lens barrel toward the forwardmost position relative to the film plane FP.

In order to allow the use of telefocus (tele mode), there are four bevel-shaped grooves 7a-7a on the rear surface of the focus ring 7, which are formed when the focus ring 7 is turned fully counterclockwise as shown in FIG. The slot 7a is rotated to face its associated ramp 31, with the result that the bellows spring 32 pushes the focus ring to its rearmost position shown in FIG. This makes the lens form a telefocus condition. When the shutter is closed, the focus ring rotates clockwise, and the bevels 68-68 at the ends of the grooves 7a-7a cause the focus ring 7 to be pushed forward again immediately.

A representative control circuit for accomplishing the synchronized action of the solenoid coils 13, 25 during exposure is shown in FIG. The sensor flash system 42 connected to the photosensitive device 48 is powered by DC power through the terminals 80 and 82 respectively by the lines 76 and 78. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that the sensor flash system can take various forms. When the photosensitive device 48 senses high ambient lighting , the structural form of the present invention is to put the output control line 84 in a "low" state. The flashlight 72 is charged by the flashlight trigger 70, and the internal logic circuit (not shown) in the flashlight trigger 70 can be used in a conventional structure. When the control line 74 is in a "low" state, i.e. high lighting conditions, the flashlight trigger does not activate the flashlight 72. .

On the other hand, if the light sensor reads a low ambient signal, the on/off control line 74 is in a "high" state. When the shutter sync switch 75 is closed, the "high" state of 74 causes the flash trigger 70 to charge the flash 72, and the switch 75 (other figures not shown) are properly coupled so that the flash is activated when the camera shutter is fully open. The output control line 84 of the sensing flash system 42 is biased on the base of the transistor through the resistor _R1 , and the coil of the focusing solenoid coil 13 is connected between the collector and the negative power supply line 78, and the emitter of the transistor _Q1 Connect directly to the positive supply line 76. Similarly, the emitter of the second transistor _Q2 is connected to the positive supply line 76 and the collector is connected to the negative supply line 78 through the aperture control solenoid 25 . The base of transistor Q2 is _biased through resistor _R2 connected to the collector of transistor _Q1 .

Considering the effect on transistors _Q1 and _Q2 of the bias voltage applied to the base of transistor _Q1 via resistor _R1 via control line 84, it is clear that when the base of transistor _Q1 is at a low voltage (high illumination/operation mode), transistor _Q1 will activate, thus energizing the focusing solenoid 13, since the base-emitter junction of transistor _Q2 is connected to the collector-emitter lead of transistor _Q1 , which results in such _Q2 must be disconnected under the state, and the diaphragm solenoid coil 25 is also disconnected. Conversely, when the signal level on control line 84 increases high enough, transistor _Q1 turns off and transistor _Q2 turns on, so that the ambient light level sensed by photosensor 48 depends on the level of the output signal on control line 84. Amplitude simply enables selective activation of the two solenoid coils 13 and 25 . System power is supplied to transistors _Q1 and _Q2 by a power switch 46, here constituted by switch blades 19, 20 as shown in Figures 1-4.

In daylight (tele) mode, the aperture setting can be smaller than the aforementioned hyperfocus position. For example, it can be accomplished by limiting leftward movement of pin 26 (Figs. 1-4) to one or more intermediate positions. Figures 10 and 11 illustrate an electrically controlled solenoid detent system providing two far mode aperture settings. Thus, referring particularly to FIG. 10, a solenoid coil 100 with an arm assembly 94 rotatable about a mandrel 97 is spring loaded (not shown) to urge arm mounted pole piece 96 away from the solenoid coil. Solenoid coil 100 is selectively actuatable by a corresponding photosensitive control signal from control loop 42 of FIG. 9 . Arm assembly 94 has a hook-shaped extension 95 at its end providing an engaging surface 102 , and extension 90 of aperture control slide 21 is similarly provided with a hook-shaped extension having engaging surface 92 .

Figure 10 shows the solenoid coil system unenergized and the opposing surfaces 92 and 102 are offset from each other to allow maximum leftward movement of the aperture control slide 21. FIG. 11 shows the result of energizing the solenoid coil 100 before the aperture control slide 21 moves. Here the engaging surfaces 92 and 102 are in face-to-face abutting relationship, and movement of the aperture control slide 21 is prematurely terminated.

When the aperture slider is in this intermediate position, the aperture control blades 27, 28 are configured to provide a suitable setting, such as f/8, corresponding to a hyperfocal distance of 12 feet as previously described. Therefore, when the film sensitivity is low or the ambient light is weak, and f/8 is required, the solenoid coil 100 is energized, and for high ambient light conditions or relatively high film sensitivity, the solenoid coil 100 is not energized during the entire aperture adjustment process, and The aperture control slide plate 21 is completely moved to the left as shown in FIG. 10 . In this state, the configuration of the shutter blades 27, 28 results in a relatively small effective aperture, i.e. a higher f-stop value than the aperture corresponding to the hyperfocal distance, which has the effect not only of correcting the exposure, but also by reducing the The diameter of the circle of confusion of objects at infinity and 6 feet makes the image at the extreme positions of the hyperfocal distance clear. Its contribution is to sharpen the overall image of objects at a not strictly placed best focus distance of 12 feet.

Film speed information can be entered into the control circuitry of the sensor flash system 42 in a variety of forms well known in the art to control the flash The board controls the solenoid coil 100 . The film speed entry system 103 may take the simple form of a user operated switch S operable between two states corresponding to considerably different film speed values. In addition, such a sensor can be easily actuated according to the film speed indicator zone, which is usually made on the 35mm film cartridge. In the simplest case, the switch S can be directly connected in series with the solenoid coil 100 . However, this will not allow the transition between flash mode and ambient mode to be controlled by film speed, as stated above, the transition between ambient lighting mode and flash mode can be controlled according to ambient lighting and film speed, just as in telephoto mode It is also evident that a series of such intermediate stop positions can be provided by a direct extension of the previously mentioned principle.

Thus, an automatic focus and iris control system has been described, based entirely on ambient light sensing, that automatically provides close focus and large aperture when ambient lighting is low, so that within the limited object distance range characteristic of flash photography Provide sufficient depth of field, and further provide automatic switching in high ambient lighting conditions, placing the lens-aperture combination at the hyperfocal distance, ie, when the far end of the depth of field is at infinity. Eliminating the need for a more expensive distance sensing system and providing an inexpensive way to provide a low cost camera, it serves the needs of the infrequent photographer well.

So far, the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for some elements without departing from the essential characteristics of the invention. Furthermore, we believe that the main claims do not specify the details of the specific embodiments disclosed herein as the best mode for carrying out the invention. Therefore, the claims are not limited to these details. In general, however, the particular claimed details of the invention, where appropriate, form essential features of the invention, even if certain specific claims are to be interpreted as equivalents.

Claims (10)

1. A camera having the following parts: an aperture stop (27, 28) adjustable between full open and at least one reduced aperture position, a variable focus lens (50), a flash for ambient lighting system (70, 72), a photosensitivity response control system, including an aperture control mechanism (21, 26, 27a, 28a) for changing the position of the aperture stop, and for changing the focus position of the lens and the working and non-working A focus control mechanism (4, 7, 9) for operating the above-mentioned flash system between states, a shutter, a system for opening the shutter, and a shutter activation system (16, 18), which are used to drive the shutter when the manual release part is in action. is that The lens is alternately adjustable between a far-focus position and a near-focus position, wherein the far-focus position is used to focus on an object less than infinity to shoot a distant scene, and the near-focus position has a short object focusing distance, and the control system When the ambient lighting is lower than a given value, the above-mentioned flash system is activated to the working state through the elements (48, 42, 13, 25, 4, 7, 9, 21), the above-mentioned aperture stop is placed at the fully open position, and the above-mentioned The lens is placed in the close-focus position, and when the ambient illumination is higher than the given value, the above-mentioned control system puts the flash system in a non-working state, and puts the aperture stop at the first reduced aperture position, and its effective aperture ratio is not corresponding to the above-mentioned The hyperfocal aperture value of the lens at the far focus position is large, and the control system then also places the lens at said far focus position. 2. The camera according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the lens is placed in the far focus position, said aperture stop is adjustable at least in two different, reduced aperture positions by means of said aperture control mechanism, said two The larger one of the reduced aperture positions corresponds to the above-mentioned first reduced aperture position. 3. The camera according to claim 2, characterized in that, when the lens is placed at the far-focus position, the aperture control mechanism corresponds to the above-mentioned photosensitive mechanism, and controllably sets the above-mentioned aperture stop at the respective positions according to the ambient lighting value. one of the at least two reduced aperture positions described above. 4. The camera of claim 3 further comprising means for controllably adjustable selection of said at least two reduced aperture positions in response to film sensitivity. 5. The camera of claim 3 further comprising means for controllably selecting, based on film sensitivity, an ambient lighting level which activates said flash system. 6. A camera according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said first reduced iris position corresponds to said hyperfocal iris aperture corresponding to said afocal lens position. 7. A camera according to claim 1, wherein said shutter is of the controlled iris type and the position of the aperture stop is established with maximum shutter blade deflection during exposure. 8. A camera according to claim 1, wherein said control system has a mechanism, corresponding to the action of said shutter actuation system, for operating said control system, corresponding to the initial movement of the shutter release before the shutter opens. Adjust the focus of the lens and the position of the aperture stop. 9. The camera of claim 1 further comprising a spring bias mechanism for actuating the lens between the two focus positions and for actuating the lens between the full open and reduced aperture positions. the aperture stop; said system for opening the shutter has a coupling and locking mechanism for urging the lens and the aperture stop against the spring force of the aforementioned spring biasing mechanism in the locked rest position, and completes the positioning with the opening of the shutter; the The locking mechanism has a mechanism for releasing the lens and aperture stop from the stationary locked position and positioned such that the spring bias mechanism advances the lens from one position to the other, in response to initial movement of the release member , to change the aperture stop from one setpoint to another. 10. The camera according to claim 9, wherein said control system has an aperture control solenoid mechanism, corresponding to said photosensitive mechanism, selectively prevents the aperture stop from changing from a set point to The fixed value moves to another set value; the control system also has a focus control solenoid coil mechanism, corresponding to the photosensitive mechanism, which selectively prevents the lens from moving from one position to another according to the sensed ambient lighting value Location.

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