Patent ID: 8111310

Claim:
An image sensor, comprising: a plurality of first pixels that receive a light flux having passed through an optical system and output pixel signals to be used as image signals; a plurality of second pixels that receive a light flux having passed through the optical system and output pixel signals to be used as signals other than the image signals; a plurality of first pixel rows, each of the first pixel rows including an array of the first pixels; at least one second pixel row that includes an array of the first pixels and the second pixels; an output circuit that outputs a read signal in response to which pixel signals output at the first pixels are read out from the first pixel rows over first pixel intervals and pixel signals output at the second pixels are read out from the second pixel row over second pixel intervals, the second pixel intervals being different from the first pixel intervals and the output circuit outputting the pixel signals that have been read out; and a switching device that selects a specific pixel row from which pixel signals are to be read out by the output circuit, the specific pixel row being either one of the first pixel rows or the second pixel row.