Digital camera, lens unit, and camera system having the same

1. A digital camera including a lens unit and a camera body, said lens unit having a photographing lens, and an image pickup device for image pickup by detecting object light from said photographing lens, said camera body having a lens mount portion adapted to loading of said lens unit, and a camera contact for electrical connection with said lens unit, said digital camera comprising:

said lens unit having:

a lens unit coupling portion, engageable with said lens mount portion, for removable loading on said camera body;

a lens connection contact for touching said camera contact when said lens mount portion is engaged with said lens unit coupling portion, for electrical connection; and

a circuit board, connected with said image pickup device, having a first surface opposed to said camera body, wherein said lens connection contact is mounted on said first surface.

2. A digital camera as defined in claim 1 , wherein said circuit board is disposed at a rear end of said lens unit.

3. A digital camera as defined in claim 2 , wherein said lens unit coupling portion is engaged with said lens mount portion by bayonet coupling.

4. A digital camera as defined in claim 3 , wherein said first surface is directed backwards, and a second surface of said circuit board is directed forwards, and said image pickup device is disposed on said second surface.

5. A digital camera as defined in claim 4 , further comprising an image pickup circuit board, provided with said image pickup device mounted thereon, and connected with said circuit board.

6. A digital camera as defined in claim 4 , wherein said circuit board includes a communication processor for transmitting information generated by said image pickup device to said camera body.

7. A digital camera as defined in claim 4 , wherein said lens connection contact is constituted by plural lens connection contacts, arranged near to one another in a rotational direction of said lens unit coupling portion, and included in a contact block;

said circuit board has a plurality of said contact block.

8. A digital camera as defined in claim 4 , wherein said lens unit coupling portion includes a protecting ridge, disposed about a position of said lens connection contact, for protecting said lens connection contact by protruding backwards therefrom.

9. A digital camera as defined in claim 4 , wherein said lens mount portion has:

a receptacle opening for receiving insertion of said lens unit coupling portion;

a first bayonet lug mechanism, disposed on an open end of said receptacle opening, for projecting toward a central axis thereof;

wherein said lens unit coupling portion has a second bayonet lug mechanism, disposed to project radially, inserted in a retaining channel defined in a middle of said first bayonet lug mechanism, for rotationally shifting relative to said first bayonet lug mechanism after insertion, to retain said lens unit on said camera body.

10. A digital camera as defined in claim 9 , wherein one of said camera contact and said lens connection contact is disposed to project from a retaining channel defined in a middle of said first bayonet lug mechanism;

a remaining one of said camera contact and said lens connection contact is overlaid on a first surface of said second bayonet lug mechanism disposed opposite to said first bayonet lug mechanism.

11. A digital camera as defined in claim 4 , wherein said circuit board includes an image pickup device driver for driving said image pickup device.

12. A digital camera as defined in claim 4 , wherein said digital camera is a digital still camera.