An image sensor for capturing a color image, comprising: a) a two-dimensional array having first and second groups of pixels, arranged in rows and columns, wherein the pixels from the first group of pixels have a color photoresponse with narrower spectral photoresponses than the pixels from the second group of pixels that have a panchromatic response and wherein the first group of pixels has pixels that have spectral photoresponses that correspond to a set of at least two colors; and b) the placement of the first and second groups of pixels defining a pattern that has a minimal repeating unit including at least twelve pixels, so that at least some rows or columns of the minimal repeating unit are composed only of pixels from the second group and the remaining rows or columns of the minimal repeating unit are composed only of pixels from the first group, wherein the rows or columns that are composed only of pixels from the first group are composed of at most two colors of pixels from the first group, the minimal repeating unit having a plurality of cells wherein each cell has at least two pixels each representing a specific color selected from the first group of pixels and the cell has a plurality of pixels selected from the second group of pixels, c) means for combining some pixels, the means for combing some pixels being usable to combine some pixels of like color within a cell with some pixels of said like color from within a cell in at least one adjacent minimal repeating unit, wherein the means for combining some pixels are usable to combine like color pixels so as to permit the reproduction of a captured color image under different lighting conditions. a) a two-dimensional array having first and second groups of pixels, arranged in rows and columns, wherein the pixels from the first group of pixels have a color photoresponse with narrower spectral photoresponses than the pixels from the second group of pixels that have a panchromatic response and wherein the first group of pixels has pixels that have spectral photoresponses that correspond to a set of at least two colors; and b) the placement of the first and second groups of pixels defining a pattern that has a minimal repeating unit including at least twelve pixels, so that at least some rows or columns of the minimal repeating unit are composed only of pixels from the second group and the remaining rows or columns of the minimal repeating unit are composed only of pixels from the first group, wherein the rows or columns that are composed only of pixels from the first group are composed of at most two colors of pixels from the first group, the minimal repeating unit having a plurality of cells wherein each cell has at least two pixels each representing a specific color selected from the first group of pixels and the cell has a plurality of pixels selected from the second group of pixels, c) means for combining some pixels, the means for combing some pixels being usable to combine some pixels of like color within a cell with some pixels of said like color from within a cell in at least one adjacent minimal repeating unit, wherein the means for combining some pixels are usable to combine like color pixels so as to permit the reproduction of a captured color image under different lighting conditions.