Camera having verification display and white-compensator and imaging method

1. A camera comprising:

a body;

an electronic imager disposed in said body, said imager generating an electronic image responsive to an incident light image;

an image display disposed on the outside of said body, said image display being operatively connected to said electronic imager and emitting non-shielded display light to show said electronic image;

a white-compensator propagating non-diffused neutral light at a preset color temperature independent of a color temperature of said electronic image to counteract ambient illumination when viewing said electronic image, said white-compensator positioned relative to said image display so that an overlap of said non-shielded display light and said non-diffused neutral light occurs.

2. The camera of claim 1 , wherein said said preset color temperature is preset to provide an approximation of daylight.

3. The camera of claim 1 , wherein said white-compensator is at least as bright as said image display so that said electronic image does not wash out illumination provided by said white-compensator.

4. The camera of claim 1 , wherein said image display defines a light image viewing zone extending outward from said body to have said overlap of said non-shielded display light from said image display and said non-diffused neutral light from said white-compensator.

5. The camera of claim 1 , wherein said image display is inset sufficiently relative to said white-compensator to reduce flare on said image display.

6. The camera of claim 1 , wherein said image display and said white-compensator are combined to each be portions of the same combined display and include a backlight providing a white light output.

7. The camera of claim 6 , further comprising a neutral density filter disposed between said backlight and said image display, but not between said backlight and said white-compensator, so that said white-compensator is brighter than said image display in said combined display.

8. The camera of claim 6 , wherein said same combined display is a single emissive pixilated display.

9. The camera of claim 1 , wherein said image display and said white compensator are a combined display component that is a single emissive pixilated display.

10. The camera of claim 1 , further comprising an archival capture unit and an optical system directing a light image to said electronic imager and to said archival capture unit and wherein said archival capture unit has capture media having a designated illuminant and said camera includes a processor color balancing said electronic image to calibrate said image display for said capture media, but not white-balancing said electronic image.

11. A camera comprising:

an electronic image capture unit;

a panel with a compensated mode wherein a border of said panel transmits neutral light at a preset first color temperature and a center of said panel transmits a pixellated colored image from said electronic image capture unit at a second color temperature Independent of said first color temperature, said panel having an uncompensated mode wherein said border and center transmit a common, pixellated image from said electronic image capture unit at a single color temperature.

12. The camera of claim 11 , further comprising an switch operatively connected to said panel, said switch being selectively actuable to change said panel between said modes.

13. The camera of claim 11 , wherein said border circumscribes said center and is at least as bright as said center so that said colored, image from said center does not wash out said neutral light from said border.

14. The camera of claim 11 , wherein said neutral light transmitted by said border of said panel is non-diffused.

15. An image capture method comprising the steps of:

capturing a light image as an electronic image, in a camera, under ambient lighting having a color cast;

converting said electronic image to a viewable display image;

propagating said display image with non-shielded display light outward from said camera in said ambient lighting; and

counteracting said ambient lighting, when propagating said display image, with non-diffused white illumination in said ambient lighting, said counteracting step including providing an overlap of said non-shielded display light and said non-diffused white illumination.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein said non-diffused white illumination is at least as bright as said non-shielded display light.

17. An image capture method comprising the steps of:

capturing a light image as an electronic image, in a camera, under ambient lighting having a color cast;

converting said electronic image to a viewable display image; and

propagating said display image outward from said camera in said ambient lighting; and

counteracting said ambient lighting in the neighborhood of said propagating display image with white illumination,

wherein said propagating and counteracting steps are selectively alternated.