Patent ID: 7499091

Claim:
A solid-state imaging device including an imaging pixel portion formed by arranging a plurality of pixels each including a photo-electric conversion element and a reading circuit of the photo-electric conversion element in a matrix and having an all pixel reading mode for reading pixel signals from all pixels of the imaging pixel portion and a thinning out reading mode for selecting part of the pixels of the imaging pixel portion said solid-state imaging device comprising: a drive circuit having a function for selecting the reading circuit in the all pixel reading mode for each pixel row or each pixel column by a drive signal, and in the thinning out reading mode inputting a drive signal also to a pixel row or a pixel column which is thinned out when driving by the thinning out reading mode, and making the reading circuit of each pixel operate, wherein said drive circuit inputs drive signals to the not thinned out pixel rows or pixel columns and thinned out pixel rows or pixel columns such that a number of operations for the reading circuits of all pixels after performing both thinning out reading and all pixel reading is at least substantially equal.