A mobile device case for coupling around a miniature camera-enabled mobile device a case shutter button mechanism for actuating the miniature camera module of the mobile camera system. A half-press or single tap triggers a precapture settings menu and a full-press or double tap triggers capture of an image.

A mobile device case for coupling around a mobile device that includes a miniature camera module has defined therein a lens attachment aperture shaped both to permit light from an object to be captured as a digital image to travel along the optical path of the miniature camera module to a built-in image sensor of the miniature camera module of the mobile device, and to facilitate stable coupling of an auxiliary lens in optical alignment with the miniature camera module. The case comprises electric circuit components positioned to balance an attached auxiliary lens approximately at a grip location.

A lighting apparatus designed for the 360 degree videography/photography/virtual reality market, comprising an annular light emitter which distributes even light in a 360 degree pattern supporting all camera viewpoints yet avoids lens flares and is invisible to the camera lenses by way of a disk shielding the camera from the annular light emitter. The slope of the annular light emitter allows light to distribute upwards, downwards and outward while masking light from the camera lenses. The apparatus is capable of supplying continuous light or may be used as a photo flash.

A flash system for an electronic device includes a ring-shaped light guide having a central opening. A camera lens is positioned in or behind the opening. A first light emitting diode (LED) is mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB), and the LED and PCB are encapsulated by a molded light guide of the flash system. An identical LED and PCB are encapsulated at an opposite end of the molded light guide (i.e., 180 degrees away). The back surfaces of each PCB diffusively reflects light from the LED on the other PCB. Light extraction features on the light guide surface uniformly leak out light from the LEDs. The light emission profile of the light guide has a peak axially aligned with the central opening of the light guide and rolls off to the edge of the camera's field of view.

A mobile device case for coupling around a miniature camera-enabled mobile device a case shutter button mechanism for actuating the miniature camera module of the mobile camera system. A half-press or single tap triggers a precapture settings menu and a full-press or double tap triggers capture of an image.

A base modifier assembly includes a light modifier and an attachment base, which may be a single device or two separate devices. The light modifier may be removably coupled to the attachment base. The attachment base has one or more coupling features that may removably couple to a lighting element. One or more gels may couple to an inside channel. An additional gel may be stacked upon the other gel. Various light modification elements may be stacked on an end of the light modifier and used independently or simultaneously from each additional modifier.

An image pickup apparatus equipped with a flash unit that is capable of popping up a light emitting unit even if a display panel is directed to a photographing direction. The flash unit is provided on an upper face of a body of the image pickup apparatus and includes three parallel rotating shafts, a first support member that is rotatably connected with the light emitting unit through the first rotating shaft, and a second support member that is rotatably connected with the first support member through the second rotating shaft and is rotatably connected with the body through the third rotating shaft. The light emitting unit is movable between a light-emitting position projected and a retracted position inside the body even if the display unit is in a stand-up position that is rotated from a regular position opposite to a back face of the body by 180 degrees.

A mobile device case for coupling around a miniature camera-enabled mobile device a case shutter button mechanism for actuating the miniature camera module of the mobile camera system. A half-press or single tap triggers a precapture settings menu and a full-press or double tap triggers capture of an image.

A mobile device case is configured to facilitate coupling of an auxiliary lens assembly along an optical path of a miniature camera module of a mobile device. A case processor and electrical circuitry embedded within the case are configured to detect the presence of the auxiliary lens assembly that is coupled to the lens attachment interface. A lens recognition sensor is coupled to the case processor and electrical circuitry and is configured to identify the auxiliary lens with a specific lens type.

An extension photoflash light and a camera system using the same are provided. The extension photoflash light to be externally mounted on a mobile device with a photographing function comprises a HID lamp, a mounting mechanism, a light sensing circuit and a control circuit. The mounting mechanism is for mounting the extension photoflash light. The light sensing circuit is disposed on the mounting mechanism. The control circuit is coupled to the HID lamp and the light sensing circuit. When a camera program is executed, a specific block on a flat panel display of the mobile device emits a light signal. The control circuit controls the light sensing circuit to detect the light signal of the specific block, and decodes a decoding message according to luminance of the detected light signal, and controls the HID lamp to perform flashing at a specific timing according to the decoding message.