User interface for controlling cropping in electronic camera

1. A camera comprising:

a body;

a capture unit mounted in said body, said capture unit having an imager and storage media operatively connected to said imager, said capture unit selectively capturing an electronic image of a scene;

a viewfinder displaying a light image of said scene;

a variable print aspect ratio cropper disposed in said body, said cropper being switchable among a plurality of settings, each said setting defining a different print aspect ratio for a rectangular cross-sectioned window in said viewfinder; and

a cropping control operatively connected to said capture unit and said cropper, said cropping control having a cropping input element accessible external to said body, said cropping input element being movable between first and second opposed cropping control positions and a plurality of intermediate cropping control positions therebetween to change said settings, each position corresponding to a different one of said settings, said cropping control positions defining a cropping control axis perpendicular to an optical axis of said capture unit.

2. The camera of claim 1 wherein said cropping input element is movable from side to side.

3. The camera of claim 2 wherein said cropping input element is pivotable from side to side between said cropping control positions.

4. The camera of claim 2 wherein said cropping input element is slideable from side to side between said cropping control positions.

5. The camera of claim 1 further comprising a display mounted on said body, said display being operatively connected to said cropping control, said display updating when said settings are changed.

6. The camera of claim 5 wherein said cropping input element is selectively movable between said first and second cropping control positions and said plurality of intermediate cropping control positions and said settings are changed in each of said positions, at a different rate.

7. The camera of claim 1 wherein said cropping input element is selectively movable between said first and second cropping control positions and said plurality of intermediate cropping control positions and said settings are changed in each of said positions, at a different rate.

8. The camera of claim 1 wherein said cropper has a plurality of mechanical vanes and said cropping input element is mechanically coupled to said vanes.

9. The camera of claim 8 wherein said mechanical coupling to said vanes is direct.

10. The camera of claim 1 further comprising a zoom input element accessible external to said body, said zoom input element being movable between two opposed zoom control positions to zoom said electronic image, said zoom control positions defining a zoom control axis parallel to said optical axis of said capture unit and perpendicular to said cropping control axis.

11. The camera of claim 10 further comprising a zoom taking lens propagating a light image of said scene to said imager, said zoom taking lens being deployable among a plurality of focal lengths, and a zoom driver operated by said zoom input element, said zoom driver deploying said taking lens responsive to said zoom control positions.

12. The camera of claim 11 wherein said zoom input element is selectively movable between said first and second zoom control positions and a plurality of intermediate zoom control positions between said first and second zoom control positions, and said focal length of said zoom lens is changed in each of said positions, at a different rate.

13. The camera of claim 11 where in said zoom input element is selectively movable between said first and second zoom control positions and a plurality of intermediate zoom control positions between said first and second zoom control positions, and wherein each of said positions corresponds to a different one of said focal lengths.

14. The camera of claim 10 wherein said cropping input element is movable from side to side.

15. The camera of claim 10 wherein said input elements have a common four-way rocker button, said button being pivotable about both said control axes.

16. The camera of claim 15 wherein said button is simultaneously pivotable about both said control axes.

17. A camera comprising:

a body;

a capture unit mounted in said body, said capture unit having an imager and storage media operatively connected to said imager, said capture unit selectively capturing an electronic image of a scene;

a viewfinder displaying a light image of said scene;

a cropper disposed in said body, said cropper being switchable among a plurality of settings, each said setting defining a different rectangular cross-sectioned window in said viewfinder; and

a cropping control operatively connected to said capture unit and said cropper, said cropping control having a cropping input element accessible external to said body, said cropping input element being movable between first and second opposed cropping control positions to change said settings, said cropping control positions defining a cropping control axis perpendicular to an optical axis of said capture unit, said cropping control further comprising a zoom input element accessible external to said body, said zoom input element being movable between two opposed zoom control positions to zoom said electronic image, said zoom control positions defining a zoom control axis parallel to said optical axis of said capture unit and perpendicular to said cropping control axis, wherein said input elements have a common four-way rocker button, said button being pivotable about both said control axes and having a shutter release disposed in the center of said button.

18. A camera comprising:

a body;

a capture unit mounted in said body, said capture unit having an imager and storage media operatively connected to said imager, said capture unit selectively capturing an electronic image of a scene;

a viewfinder displaying a light image of said scene;

a cropping control operatively connected to said capture unit, said cropping control having a cropper input element accessible external to said body, said cropper input element being pivotable from side to side among a plurality of different cropping positions, each said position defining a different aspect ratio and a cropper axis perpendicular to an optical axis of said capture unit; and

a zoom input element accessible external to said body, said zoom input element being pivotable forward and back among a plurality of different zoom control positions, said zoom control positions each defining a different zoom ratio and a zoom control axis parallel to said optical axis of said capture unit and perpendicular to said cropping control axis,

wherein said input elements have a common four-way rocker button, said button being pivotable about both said control axes and wherein the capture unit uses the captured electronic image to form an image based upon the cropping position and zoom ratio defined for the captured electronic image to modify the captured electronic image.

19. A camera comprising:

a body;

a capture unit mounted in said body, said capture unit having an imager and storage media operatively connected to said imager, said capture unit selectively capturing an electronic image of a scene;

a viewfinder displaying a light image of said scene;

a cropping control operatively connected to said capture unit, said cropping control having a cropper input element accessible external to said body, said cropper input element being pivotable from side to side among a plurality of different cropping positions defining a control axis perpendicular to an optical axis of the camera, each said position defining a different aspect ratio; and

a zoom input element accessible external to said body, said zoom input element being pivotable forward and back among a plurality of different zoom control positions defining a control axis parallel to said optical axis, said zoom control positions each defining a different zoom ratio,

wherein said input elements have a common four-way rocker button, said button being pivotable about both said control axes and further comprising a shutter release disposed in the center of said button.

20. The camera of claim 18 wherein said cropping control further comprises a pair of vanes operatively connected to said cropper input element, said vanes being selectively movable, relative to each other, between a first position, through a continuous sequence of intermediate positions, and a second position, said vanes, in each of said positions, defining a different print aspect ratio for a rectangular cross-sectioned window in said viewfinder.

21. The camera of claim 20 wherein said cropper input element is mechanically linked to said vanes.

22. A method of adjusting the aspect ratio and zoom ratio of a viewfinder image comprising the steps of:

directing a viewfinder at a scene, said viewfinder defining a viewfinder axis;

during said directing, moving a cropping control in a direction perpendicular to said viewfinder axis to any position between two opposed limits, to change said aspect ratio in the viewfinder, and moving a zoom control in a direction parallel to said viewfinder axis, to change said zoom ratio,

both of said moving steps being performed while continuously retaining one finger contact with said cropping control.