An image processing apparatus comprising: a color and polarization obtaining section including a single-chip color image capture device that has a color mosaic filter and a patterned polarizer in which a number of polarizer units, having polarization transmission planes defining mutually different angles, are provided for multiple pixels of a single particular color in the color mosaic filter; a polarization information processing section configured to generate an approximate-degree-of-polarization image and a polarization phase image, based on a sinusoidal functional relation between the intensities of light rays that have been transmitted through the polarizer units for the multiple pixels of the single particular color, and the angles of the polarization transmission planes of the polarizer units; and a color mosaic interpolation section configured to generate a color intensity image by performing color intensity interpolation and getting a color intensity that cannot be obtained at a pixel of interest, wherein the color mosaic filter has a Bayer color mosaic pixel arrangement in which pixels in the single particular color are arranged in a checkerboard pattern with respect to pixels in the other colors in the color mosaic filter, and wherein four types of polarizer units, having polarization transmission planes defining mutually different angles are arranged for the pixels in the single particular color in the checkerboard pattern and no polarizer units are present for pixels of second and third colors that are included in the Bayer color mosaic pixel arrangement, wherein the polarizer units that are located at neighboring four-connected positions surrounding each of the pixels of the second or third color are comprised of four polarizer units, the polarization transmission planes of the four polarizer units defining angles that are different from each other, and wherein four of the polarization transmission planes of the polarizer unit for each of the pixels of the single particular color and the polarizer units that are located at diagonally neighboring positions surrounding said pixel of the single particular color define angles that are different from each other. a color and polarization obtaining section including a single-chip color image capture device that has a color mosaic filter and a patterned polarizer in which a number of polarizer units, having polarization transmission planes defining mutually different angles, are provided for multiple pixels of a single particular color in the color mosaic filter; a polarization information processing section configured to generate an approximate-degree-of-polarization image and a polarization phase image, based on a sinusoidal functional relation between the intensities of light rays that have been transmitted through the polarizer units for the multiple pixels of the single particular color, and the angles of the polarization transmission planes of the polarizer units; and a color mosaic interpolation section configured to generate a color intensity image by performing color intensity interpolation and getting a color intensity that cannot be obtained at a pixel of interest, wherein the color mosaic filter has a Bayer color mosaic pixel arrangement in which pixels in the single particular color are arranged in a checkerboard pattern with respect to pixels in the other colors in the color mosaic filter, and wherein four types of polarizer units, having polarization transmission planes defining mutually different angles are arranged for the pixels in the single particular color in the checkerboard pattern and no polarizer units are present for pixels of second and third colors that are included in the Bayer color mosaic pixel arrangement, wherein the polarizer units that are located at neighboring four-connected positions surrounding each of the pixels of the second or third color are comprised of four polarizer units, the polarization transmission planes of the four polarizer units defining angles that are different from each other, and wherein four of the polarization transmission planes of the polarizer unit for each of the pixels of the single particular color and the polarizer units that are located at diagonally neighboring positions surrounding said pixel of the single particular color define angles that are different from each other.