Patent ID: 8137006

Claim:
An imaging apparatus comprising: a mirror movable between a viewing position, in which said mirror reflects incident light from an imaging optical system toward a viewfinder optical system, and a retracted position, in which said mirror is retracted so that light which is passed through said imaging optical system is incident on an image sensor without being reflected by said mirror; a shutter which, when shut, prevents said light that is passed through said imaging optical system from being incident on said image sensor, and, when open, allows said light that is passed through said imaging optical system to be incident on said image sensor; a reversible motor; a first operating mechanism which moves said mirror and carries out a shutter charge operation of said shutter when engaged with said reversible motor and driven thereby; a second operating mechanism which carries out said shutter charge operation of said shutter without moving said mirror when engaged with said reversible motor and driven thereby; and a driving force transmission switcher, said driving force transmission switcher comprising a single switching gear that is arranged to rotate and to move in accordance with a rotational direction of said reversible motor, wherein, when said reversible motor rotates in a first rotational direction, said single switching gear of said driving force transmission switcher engages with a gear that is part of said first operating mechanism to transmit a driving force of said reversible motor to said first operating mechanism; and wherein, when said reversible motor rotates in a second rotational direction, said single switching gear of said driving force transmission switcher engages with a gear that is part of said second operating mechanism to transmit a driving force of said reversible motor to said second operating mechanism.