Interchangeable lens and digital camera including controller for stopping zoom lens at one of discrete predetermined stop positions
View Patent ↗An interchangeable lens includes a zoom lens, a driver configured to drive the zoom lens, an operation unit configured to receive a user's operation for changing a magnification of the zoom lens, and a controller configured to control the driver according to the operation of the operation unit. The controller controls the driver in either one of a first operation mode for enabling the zoom lens to stop at an arbitrary position according to the operation of the operation unit and a second operation mode for enabling the zoom lens to stop at one of discrete predetermined stop positions according to the operation of the operation unit.
1. An interchangeable lens mountable to a camera body, comprising:
a zoom lens; a driver configured to drive the zoom lens;
an operation unit configured to receive a user's operation for changing a magnification of the zoom lens;
a storage unit configured to store information about discrete predetermined stop positions;
a communication unit configured to transmit the information about the discrete predetermined stop positions stored in the storage unit to the camera body; and
a controller configured to control the driver according to the operation of the operation unit, wherein
the controller controls the driver in either one of a first operation mode for enabling the zoom lens to stop at an arbitrary position according to the operation of the operation unit and a second operation mode for enabling the zoom lens to stop at one of discrete predetermined stop positions according to the operation to the operation unit and the controller stops the zoom lens at one of discrete predetermined stop positions when a stop position of the zoom lens determined according to the operation received by the operation unit is different from one of discrete predetermined stop positions in the second operation mode.
2. The interchangeable lens according to claim 1 , wherein the controller sets the operation mode to the first operation mode or the second operation mode according to an instruction from the camera body.
3. The interchangeable lens according to claim 1 , further comprising a communication unit configured to transmit information about a position at which the zoom lens actually stops to the camera body.
4. The interchangeable lens according to claim 3 , wherein when the controller cannot actually stop the zoom lens at the discrete predetermined stop position in the second operation mode, the controller transmits the information indicating that the zoom lens cannot stop at the discrete predetermined stop position to the camera body.
5. The interchangeable lens according to claim 3 , wherein when the controller cannot stop the zoom lens at the discrete predetermined stop position in the second operation mode, the controller transmits information about the actual stop position of the zoom lens to the camera body.
6. The interchangeable lens according to claim 1 , further comprising a communication unit configured to receive information about the discrete predetermined stop position from the camera body.
7. A digital camera comprising:
a camera body;
an interchangeable lens configured to be mountable to the camera body, the interchangeable lens including:
a zoom lens;
a driver configured to drive the zoom lens;
an operation unit configured to receive a user's operation for changing a magnification of the zoom lens; and
a lens controller configured to control the driver according to the operation of the operation unit, wherein:
the lens controller controls the driver in either one of a first operation mode for enabling the zoom lens to stop at an arbitrary position according to the operation of the operation unit and a second operation mode for enabling the zoom lens to stop at one of discrete predetermined stop positions according to the operation to the operation unit, and
the lens controller stops the zoom lens at one of discrete predetermined stop positions when a stop position of the zoom lens determined according to the operation received by the operation unit is different from one of discrete predetermined stop positions in the second operation mode;
the camera body including:
a storage unit configured to store information about the discrete predetermined stop positions regarding the interchangeable lens;
a camera controller configured to obtain characteristic information about the interchangeable lens from the mounted interchangeable lens and obtain information about the discrete predetermined stop position regarding the mounted interchangeable lens out of the information stored in the storage unit based on the obtained characteristic information; and
a communication unit configured to transmit the obtained information about the discrete predetermined stop position to the interchangeable lens.