Patent ID: 6449013
Filing Date: 2002-09-10
Classification: G06K,H04N

Abstract:
An image pickup apparatus comprising:an image pickup device for converting an optical image into an electric signal, said image pickup device having a plurality of color filters; a first photographing mode in which the electric signal transmitted from said image pickup device is used to form a color natural image signal; a second photographing mode in which the electric signal transmitted from said image pickup device is used to form a high resolution image signal of a monochromatic image; an optical low-pass filter operating in both said first and second photographing modes and comprising a plurality of low-pass filters for trapping a spatial frequency of light from an object made incident on said image pickup device, said plurality of low-pass filters being movable and changeable so that characteristics of said optical low-pass filter are changed by inserting or retracting into an optical passage of an optical lens a combination of low-pass filters of said plurality of low-pass filters; an optical system which images light from the object on said image pickup device and which changes the characteristics of said optical low-pass filter in said second photographing mode by moving and changing said plurality of low-pass filters thereby increasing the trapping frequency of said filter; and correction means for correcting a length of the optical passage of the optical lens to counteract a change in the length of the optical passage when the characteristics of said optical filter are changed.