Patent ID: 7466336

Claim:
A camera adapted to present a preview image, the camera comprising: a trigger adapted to generate a trigger pulse; an image capture system having one first lens system and a first imager for capturing a single perspective image of a scene; a viewer adapted to present one image to a first viewing area and another image to a second viewing area; and a controller adapted to receive a first trigger pulse and to cause the first image capture system to capture a first image of the scene through the first lens system and first imager in response to the first trigger pulse and to present the first image in the first viewing area after the capture of the first image, while also presenting in the second viewing area a stream of evaluation images representing field of view of the scene then confronting the first lens system and the first imager such that a viewer positioned with a first eye in the first viewing area and a second eye in the second viewing area can view parallax differences between the first image and a current field of view of the first image capture system while composing a second image, the controller also being adapted to receive a second trigger pulse and to cause the image capture system to capture a second image of the scene in response to the second trigger pulse and to cause the viewer to simultaneously present the first image to the first viewing area and to present the second image to the second viewing area whereby an observer positioned with a first eye in the first viewing area and a second eye in the second viewing area can detect parallax differences between the first image and the second image, said second image being captured after presentation of the first image to the first viewing area.