HYBRID CAMERA WITH IDENTIFICATION MATCHING OF FILM AND ELECTRONIC IMAGES

A hybrid camera that includes imaging mode selector (23) for selecting at least one of a film mode of operation and a hybrid mode of operation; a removable memory interface connection (130) for receiving a removable memory device; digital imaging system (16, 70) for generating a digital image representative of an imaged subject scene in each of the film mode and hybrid mode of operation; a working memory (124) for storing the digital image generated by the digital imaging means as a working image; a photographic imaging system (14, 60) for imaging the subject scene onto a photographic film to generate a photographic film image corresponding to the digital image in the film mode and the hybrid mode of operation; and a control processor (68, 72) for generating a film mode digital image and a hybrid mode digital image from the working image, respectively, in the film mode and hybrid mode of operation. A recording mechanism (108) records image data related to the corresponding photographic film image on the photographic film under control of the control processor. Identification data corresponding to the photographic film and the corresponding photographic film image is stored with at least one of the hybrid mode digital image and film mode digital image in the hybrid mode of operation and the film mode of operation. The identification data is entered either manually via a camera operator interface (74) or is generated automatically by a cartridge identification sensor (107). Alternatively, the identification data is encoded on the photographic film and the carbide identification sensor reads the identification data from the encoded photographic film.