Patent ID: 8866940

Claim:
An image pickup apparatus, comprising: an image pickup device having a plurality of pixels that are arranged in a two-dimensional manner for picking up an image of an object, and which outputs pixel signals that are picked up by the plurality of pixels; a white spot positional information storage portion that stores positional information of a white-spot pixel as a defective pixel that exists in the image pickup device; an image pickup device drive portion that, by applying a transfer signal to the image pickup device, causes the pixel signals to be outputted along a predetermined direction from the plurality of pixels comprising the image pickup device; a white spot correction portion that, when it is determined based on positional information of the white-spot pixel that is read out from the white spot positional information storage portion that the pixel signal that is outputted from the image pickup device by application of the transfer signal is a pixel signal of a white-spot pixel, among pixel signals of eight peripheral pixels that surround a pixel that is determined to be the white-spot pixel that are outputted from the image pickup device, performs white spot correction with respect to a pixel signal of the pixel that is determined to be the white-spot pixel based on a white spot correction value that is calculated based on seven pixels excluding a pixel signal of an adjacent pixel that is outputted one pixel after the pixel that is determined to be the white-spot pixel; a cable that transmits an analog pixel signal of each pixel comprising the image pickup device; an analog/digital conversion portion that converts the analog pixel signal that is transmitted by the cable to a digital pixel signal and outputs the digital pixel signal to the white spot correction portion; and an additive correction portion that performs correction that adds a predetermined proportion of a pixel signal value of the pixel that is determined to be the white-spot pixel to a pixel signal of a predetermined pixel that is outputted a predetermined number of pixels after the pixel that is determined to be the white-spot pixel, with the predetermined number of pixels being greater than or equal to one pixel.