Photographic camera system

Abstract

A photographic camera system includes a photographic camera that can successively expose a photographic film in different frame sizes and an automatic printer for automatically printing the processed photographic film exposed with those different frame sizes. The camera varies the aspect of an exposure opening in the camera body and the film is fed for a length corresponding to the selected aspect by detecting a hole located in a marginal area of the film. The photographic camera magnetically or optically records at a location away from the hole an aspect information signal indicative of the selected aspect of the exposed frame on the photographic film, and the automatic printer automatically prints the photographic film using the magnetically or optically recorded aspect information signal detected from the photographic film.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to a photographic camera system for producing pictures having various frame sizes, and more particularly to a photographic camera using a specialized photographic film and a film printing device for printing the processed photographic film having a succession of frames of different sizes that have been photographed by the camera.DESCRIPTION OF THE BACKGROUNDThe photographic film that is in the most widespread use today is 35-mm film (system 135) as provided for by Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS) and International Organization of Standardization (IOS).U.S. Pat. No. 5,049,908 describes a photographic camera and a film therefor, with the film being of a 35-mm size devoid of sprocket holes of the size used in present 35-mm films and having an effective image area of about 30 mm across the film, thereby providing an increased effective usable film area.More specifically, ignoring dimensional tolerances, present 35-mm films for use i...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a variable frame size photographic system that can eliminate the above-noted drawbacks inherent in prior proposed systems.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a photographic camera that can expose a photographic film in different frame sizes as desired.

Problems solved by technology

If the films that are spliced into the continuous strip contain frames exposed in different frame formats, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,049,908, then the long single film stored in the film magazine contains different frame sizes, thereby making printing a problem.

With the disclosed process, it is impossible to process several thousand films per hour, however, the cost of processing exposed film is relatively high.

As a consequence, films with different frame sizes may not be accepted by processing laboratories in Japan.

Many processing laboratories all over the world also do not accept films with frames exposed in half size because they do not want different frame sizes to be contained in a single spliced film that is stored in a single film magazine for subsequent processing and printing.

This problem arises because the different frame sizes can be recognized only after the film has been developed.

Nevertheless, use of marking seals would not essentially solve the problem, because it would be difficult to supply such marking seals consistently over a number of years.

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