Camera having selective functions

DETAILED DESCRIPTION It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a camera which enables the selection of a desired functional condition or data at a reduced cost and with ease, without employing IC cards.
The present invention was made by noting that the CCD distance measuring sensor for automatically focusing, which is provided on AF cameras acts as a kind of line sensor.
The present invention provides a camera which is equipped with an automatic focusing device having a CCD distance measuring sensor and which enables the selection of a plurality of functional conditions and/or data concerning the camera functions, wherein the improvement comprises: a code table containing codes expressing information concerning the plurality of functional conditions and/or data, the code table being provided separately from the camera; an optical system for forming an image of the code table on the CCD distance measuring sensor; and functional condition selection control means for analyzing the image of the code formed on the CCD distance measuring sensor on the basis of the output of the sensor and rewriting the functional conditions or data stored in a memory.
By virtue of the above-described arrangement, the conventional CCD distance measuring sensor for auto focusing and control means (microcomputer) can be utilized as hardware means without making any changes is therefore possible to select a desired functional condition simply by preparing patterns that represent information concerning a plurality of selective functional conditions and/or data of the camera.