Patent ID: 6549342
Filing Date: 2003-04-15
Classification: G02B,H04N

Abstract:
A finder optical system for a single lens reflex camera, comprising:a photographing optical system, light from an object being converged by said photographing optical system, an image of the object being formed on an imaging surface; an optical element inserted in an optical path of the converging light emerged from said photographing optical system, said optical element splitting light passed through said photographing optical system into first light which is deflected by said optical element and second light which passes through said optical element, the first light forming a primary image at a position downstream from said optical element, the second light being incident on said imaging surface to form an object image; a relaying optical system arranged on an optical path of the light deflected by said optical element, said relaying optical system relaying the primary image to form a secondary image; an eyepiece optical system through which the secondary image is observable; and a first reflection surface arranged between said relaying optical system and said eyepiece optical system, said first reflection surface deflecting light, which is directed from said relaying optical system toward said eyepiece optical system, to proceed in a direction parallel with an optical axis of said photographing optical system, a second reflection surface arranged between said relaying optical system and said first reflection surface, said second reflection surface deflecting light emerged from said relaying optical system toward said first reflection surface; and a third reflection surface arranged between said optical element and said relaying optical system , said third reflection surface deflecting the first light deflected by said optical element in a direction inclined with respect to a plane including the first light deflected by said optical element and the optical axis of said photographing optical system, wherein: the light deflected by said second reflection surface and directed toward said first reflection surface is substantially parallel with the light which is deflected by said optical element and directed to said third reflection surface; and said secondary image is formed between said first reflection surface and said eyepiece optical system.