Patent ID: 7876370

Claim:
An image capture apparatus comprising: a high frequency signal extraction unit that extracts a high frequency signal from an input signal; a searching unit that searches a pixel having the largest value among a pixel block around a subject pixel; a level selecting unit that (a) selects a first level if a value of the pixel searched by the searching unit is not larger than a first threshold value, (b) selects a second level lower that the first level if the value of the pixel searched by the searching unit is larger than the first threshold value and is smaller than a second threshold value, and (c) selects a third level lower than the second level if the value of the pixel searched by the searching unit is larger than the second threshold value; and a noise component removing unit that (a) removes a noise component from the high frequency signal using the first level if the level selecting unit selects the first level, (b) removes a noise component from the high frequency signal using the second level if the level selecting unit selects the second level, and (c) removes a noise component from the high frequency signal using the third level if the level selecting unit selects the third level.