The present invention relates to a video camera, and more particularly to a portable video camera with a handgrip having a built-in action finder.
There are well known in the art various portable video cameras having a handgrip attached to the bottom of the camera body and a view finder mounted on the top of the camera body which is adjustable in angular position.
The recent tendency in portable video cameras is to provide a grip changeable in angle relative the camera body for easy handling. A problem in association with such a portable video camera is a difficulty of sighting a subject through a view finder of the portable video camera at a low angle camera position. This is due to the view finder being built in or mounted on the camera body. There are some large video cameras provided with adjustable view finders. Even with the provision of such an adjustable view finder, it is still difficult to handle the large video camera when using it at low angle camera positions because a grip of the large video camera is generally structurally integral with the camera body thereof.
In some instances, with video cameras of this type, it is troublesome to change the camera angle or position between a high angle and low angle camera position because it is necessary to bend the wrist or hand of an operator backward when shifting the camera in particular from a high angle camera position to a low angle camera position. Additionally, in some of the video cameras of this type two actions are necessary: adjusting the view finder, and thereafter the grip, in angular position. This brings the video camera to a standstill.