Patent ID: 6979138

Claim:
A mount lock apparatus for a camera comprising: a projecting exterior portion which is provided substantially at a central portion of a front surface of a camera body; a circular annular mount plate, which is fitted to said projecting exterior portion, and to which a photographing lens unit is detachably attached, said circular annular mount plate having a connecting surface which contacts with said photographing lens unit; a mount lock pin which is biased to protrude from said connecting surface of the circular annular mount plate to engage with said photographing lens unit at a predetermined position; and a mount unlocking button which is operated to move said mount lock pin in a direction to retract from said connecting surface; wherein said mount unlocking button is provided on a portion of an outer peripheral surface of said projecting exterior portion that is located closer to a lens optical axis thereof than a farthermost portion of said projecting exterior portion from the lens optical axis in a horizontal direction of said camera body, and wherein a horizontal distance from the lens optical axis to a head portion of the mount unlocking button is smaller than a horizontal distance from the lens optical axis to an outermost edge of the projecting exterior portion.