Patent ID: 7365780

Claim:
An image pickup apparatus, comprising: an image sensor for picking up a scene in response to a control signal to thereby output an image signal representative of said scene; a recording device for recording a plurality of frames of image signals; a selecting device for allowing an operator of said image pickup apparatus to select a desired one of the plurality of frames of image signals recorded in said recording device; and a controller operative in response to said selecting device for outputting the control signal to cause said image sensor to pick up the scene at preselected intervals and for controlling said recording device, wherein said controller sets a period of time corresponding to a photometric value as the preselected intervals, wherein said recording device records latest ones of a plurality of frames of image signals picked up at the preselected intervals while sequentially updating said plurality of latest frames of image signals, wherein said controller causes said recording device to hold frames of image signals picked up during a period of time based on a release operation, and causes non-selected frames of image signals, as distinguished from the one frame of image signal selected, existing in said recording device to be automatically deleted, such that only the selected one frame of image signal is maintained, wherein to set the period of time corresponding to the photometric value as the preselected intervals, said controller is configured to determine a shutter time of a shutter based on the photometric value, and set the period of time to be equal to or longer than a sum of the shutter time and a frame transfer time, wherein the frame transfer time is a period of time necessary to transfer one frame of pixel signals from said image sensor to said recording device.