Patent ID: 8576984

Claim:
A solid-state image pickup apparatus comprising: where M and N are each an integer not less than 2, M 1 is an integer less than M, N 1 is an integer less than N, m is an integer not less than 1 and not more than M, and n is an integer not less than 1 and not more than N, a photodetecting section having M×N pixel units P 1,1 to P M,N two-dimensionally arranged in M rows and N columns, each of the pixel units including a photodiode and a readout switch connected with the photodiode, the photodiode generating charges corresponding to an intensity of an incident light, a readout wiring L O,n connected with a readout switch of each of the M pixel units P 1,n to P M,n of an n-th column in the photodetecting section, for reading out charges generated in the photodiode of any pixel unit of the M pixel units P 1,n to P M,n via the readout switch of the pixel unit; a signal readout section connected with each of the readout wirings L O,1 to L O,N , for holding a voltage value according to an amount of charges input through the readout wiring L O,n , and sequentially outputting the held voltage values; and a controlling section that controls an opening and closing operation of the readout switch of each of the M×N pixel units P 1,1 to P M,N in the photodetecting section and controls an outputting operation of a voltage value in the signal readout section to make a voltage value according to an amount of charges generated in the photodiode of each of the M×N pixel units P 1,1 to P M,N in the photodetecting section be output from the signal readout section, wherein the controlling section when in a first imaging mode, makes a voltage value according to an amount of charges generated in the photodiode of each of the M×N pixel units P 1,1 to P M,N in the photodetecting section be output from the signal readout section, when in a second imaging mode, makes a voltage value according to an amount of charges generated in the photodiode of each pixel unit P m,n included in a specific range of consecutive M 1 rows or N 1 columns in the photodetecting section be output from the signal readout section, and when in the second imaging mode as compared to when in the first imaging mode, makes a readout pixel pitch in frame data based on a voltage value to be output from the signal readout section smaller, makes a frame rate being a number of frames of data to be output per unit time higher, and makes a gain being a ratio of an output voltage value to an input charge amount in the signal readout section greater.