Patent ID: 7440010

Claim:
An image pickup apparatus provided with a solid state image pickup device and a data compression means for compressing a video signal acquired by said solid state image pickup device, characterized in that said image pickup apparatus comprises: a characteristic value calculation means for extracting a characteristic value used for predicting an amount of codes to be generated at a time of compressing a video signal acquired by said solid state image pickup device from the video signal; and a compression coefficient control means for controlling a compression coefficient which is used by said data compression means based on the characteristic value acquired by said characteristic value calculation means, said compression coefficient control means using the characteristic value acquired by said characteristic value calculation means at a time of allowing users to check an image to be picked-up before picking up the image, and determining the compression coefficient at a time of picking up an image, wherein the compression coefficient control means is arranged to correct an error included in the characteristic value caused by a change in operation mode in the image pickup apparatus from a mode in which a user is allowed to check an image to be picked-up to another mode in which an image is picked up by use of a correction coefficient calculated in advance based on a result of measurement of a change in characteristic value at a time of change of an operation mode.