What is claimed is:
1. A digital camera comprising:
(a) a housing provided with a plurality of lens groups movable along an optical axis in accordance with an instructed magnification;
(b) an image sensor disposed for receiving light through the lens groups and producing an electronic information in accordance therewith;
(c) a memory connected to the image sensor for receiving and storing data in accordance with the electronic information received from the image sensor; and
(d) a controller electronically controlling the memory and movement of the lens groups, the controller having program logic defining a plurality of operation modes, the logic upon initiation determining an operation mode, and if the mode is determined to be an image recording mode, the logic causing the controller to commence moving the lens groups to initialization positions and performs initialization processing for enabling image recording, and after completion of the initialization processing for enabling image processing, if a command is received for image recording before the lens groups have arrived at the initialization positions, controls the memory to store data in accordance with the electronic information presently available from the image sensor.
2. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein said program logic causes the controller to initialize the image sensor and memory for image recording.
3. The digital camera according to claim 2, further comprising a display device controlled by the controller, the program logic upon initialization, initializing the display device for displaying information.
4. The digital camera according to claim 3, wherein said display device is a display or an LED.
5. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein said lens groups comprise a zoom lens group which moves in accordance with an instructed magnification and a focus lens group for focusing, said controller controlling said focus lens group to follow movement of said zoom lens during the movement of said zoom lens group to an initialization position.
6. The digital camera according to claim 5, further comprising a detector in electronic communication with the controller, the detector detecting a movement amount of said zoom lens group, and said controller controlling movement of the focus lens group in accordance with a movement amount detected by said detector.
7. The digital camera according to claim 6, wherein said detector is formed by a cord plate and a terminal.
8. The digital camera according to claim 6, wherein the detector detects step movement, each step corresponding to a movement range of said zoom lens group from a retracted position to an initialization position divided into a substantially equal number of intervals, with step movement information being provided to the controller for movement of the focus lens group in accordance therewith.
9. A method for activating a digital camera having a plurality of lens groups which move in accordance with an instructed magnification, and an image sensing system disposed for receiving an image from the lens groups and producing an electronic information representing the image, the method comprising:
(a) determining an operation mode upon power initiation; and
(b) if the operation mode is an image recording mode, then:
(i) initializing the image sensing system for receiving an image from the lens groups and producing the electronic information representing the image;
(ii) moving the lens groups to initialization positions; and
(iii) if a command is received to record an image prior to the lens groups arriving at the initialization positions, and after completion of initializing the image sensing system, recording an electronic information representing an image, presently available from the image sensing system.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein recording electronic information representing an image includes storing data in a memory in accordance with the electronic information.
11. The method of claim 9, wherein recording electronic information representing an image includes displaying an image in accordance with the electronic information on a display device.
12. The method of claim 9, wherein said lens groups comprise a zoom lens group which moves in accordance with an instructed magnification and a focus lens group for focusing, wherein moving the lens groups to initialization positions includes moving said focus lens group to follow movement of said zoom lens group during the movement of said zoom lens group to an initialization position.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein moving said focus lens group to follow movement of said zoom lens group includes detecting a movement amount of said zoom lens group using a detector.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein detecting a movement amount includes:
dividing a range of said zoom lens group into a plurality of steps, said range being from a retracted position to an initialization position, and storing movement amounts of the focus lens group corresponding to respective steps; and
reading a movement amounts of the focus lens group corresponding to a step detected by said detector and moving said focus lens group.
15. A method for use in a digital camera having a plurality of lens groups movable in accordance with an instructed magnification, and an image sensing system disposed for receiving an image from the lens groups and producing an electronic information representing the image, the method comprising:.
(a) determining if an operation mode has changed; and
(b) if the operation mode is an image recording mode, then:
(i) initializing the image sensing system for receiving an image from the lens groups and producing the electronic information representing the image;
(ii) moving the lens groups to initialization positions; and
(iii) if a command is received to record an image prior to the lens groups arriving at the initialization positions, and after completion of initializing the image sensing system, recording an electronic information representing an image, presently available from the image sensing system.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein the camera includes a memory and initializing the image sensing system includes initializing the memory for storing data in accordance with the electronic information from the image sensing system.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the camera includes a display device, and enabling image recording includes enabling display of an image in accordance with the electronic information from the image sensing system.
18. The method of claim 15, wherein said lens groups include a zoom lens group which moves in accordance with an instructed magnification and a focus lens group for focusing and commencing movement of the lens group includes:
moving said focus lens group to follow movement of said zoom lens group during movement of said zoom lens group to initialization positions.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein moving said focus lens group to follow movement of said zoom lens group includes detecting a movement amount of said zoom lens group using a detector.
20. The method of claim 19 wherein detecting a movement amount includes:
dividing a range of said zoom lens group into a plurality of steps, said range being from a retracted position to an initialization position, and storing movement amounts of said focus lens group corresponding to respective steps; and
reading a movement amounts of said focus lens group corresponding to a step detected by said detector and moving said focus lens group.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A substrate for a magnetic recording medium, comprising a monocrystalline silicon wafer which has been heated andor etched at least once before.
2. A method for manufacturing a substrate for a magnetic recording medium, the method comprising:
a step of coring for obtaining a plurality of doughnut-shaped substrates having an outer diameter of not more than 65 mm from a monocrystalline silicon wafer having a diameter of at least 150 mm and at most 300 mm which has undergone heating andor etching at least once.
3. The method for manufacturing a substrate for a magnetic recording medium according to claim 2, further comprising:
a step of chamfering for removing edges of inner and outer circumferential faces of said doughnut-shaped substrate;
a step of circumferential face-polishing for polishing the chamfered inner and outer circumferential faces; and
a step of lapping for removing 10 \u03bcm to 100 \u03bcm by grinding from a surface of the monocrystalline silicon wafer or the doughnut-shaped substrate, before the step of coring, or between the steps of coring and chamfering, or between the steps of chamfering and circumferential face-polishing, or after the step of circumferential face-polishing.
4. The method for manufacturing a substrate for a magnetic recording medium according to claim 2 wherein said monocrystalline silicon wafer used in said step of coring has a surface orientation of (1 0 0) and a thickness of not more than 0.7 mm.
5. The method for manufacturing a substrate for a magnetic recording medium according to claim 3, further comprising after said step of circumferential face-polishing, or after said step of lapping performed after said step of circumferential face-polishing:
a step of alkali-etching the substrate;
a step of polishing both surfaces of the alkali-etched substrate; and
a subsequent step of washing.
6. A perpendicular magnetic recording medium comprising said substrate of claim 1.
7. The method for manufacturing a substrate for a magnetic recording medium according to claim 3 wherein said monocrystalline silicon wafer used in said step of coring has a surface orientation of (1 0 0) and a thickness of not more than 0.7 mm.