Patent ID: 8488029

Claim:
An imaging apparatus comprising: an optical system operable to adjust an exposure light amount; an A/D converter operable to convert an analogue signal that is obtained by the optical system to a first digital signal; a dynamic-range increasing unit operable to magnify the first digital signal with a dynamic range magnification ratio to generate a second digital signal; a control unit operable to generate control signals, one for decreasing the exposure light amount and the other for increasing the dynamic range magnification ratio; and a dynamic-range compression unit including: a vicinity luminance detection unit operable to extract a vicinity luminance value of the second digital signal corresponding to a predetermined position; and a dynamic tone correction unit operable to convert an input value of the second digital signal for the predetermined position to an output value of the second digital signal for the predetermined position by using a conversion characteristic, wherein the conversion characteristic changes the output value according to the vicinity luminance value, and wherein a gradient of the conversion characteristic at a point corresponding to the vicinity luminance value is the same as or greater than a gradient of a straight line from a coordinate origin passing through the point on the conversion characteristic corresponding to the vicinity luminance value.