Patent ID: 6876391

Claim:
An imaging apparatus comprising: a taking lens for forming an image of a subject on an imaging surface; an imaging device which is constructed by arranging photoelectric conversion elements in a two-dimensional array and dividing them into photoelectric conversion element groups, composed of combinations of lines spaced at specific intervals, and which stores the charges corresponding to the image of the subject formed by said taking lens on the imaging surface; control means for controlling the charge storage start timing for said imaging device in such a manner that the photoelectric conversion elements belonging to the same photoelectric conversion element group in said imaging device start to store charges with the same timing and the photoelectric conversion elements belonging to another photoelectric conversion element group start to store charges with different timing; and driving means for driving said taking lens along the optical axis on the basis of the image signal read from each of the photoelectric conversion element groups in said imaging device, wherein said driving means drives said taking lens to specific positions in synchronization with the charge storage start timing for each of the photoelectric conversion element groups in said imaging device.