Patent ID: 8325246

Claim:
An imaging apparatus comprising: an image sensor for converting imaging light obtained through an optical system into an imaging signal comprised of successive frames of pixels, each such successive frame exhibiting a given frame period; an imaging signal processing unit for amplifying the imaging signal obtained from the image sensor; a frame addition unit for arithmetically adding the signal levels of corresponding, pixels of a predetermined plurality of frames of the imaging signal processed by the imaging signal processing unit per given frame period to produce an output frame of said given frame period, said output frame containing pixels formed of added signal levels of said corresponding pixels of said given frame period; and a control unit for a variable setting of amplification gain of each frame in the imaging signal processing unit on the basis of a signal accumulation period of each frame in the plurality of frames that are added, said accumulation, period and said amplification gain being in a reverse relation, and said signal accumulation period having a range between 0 and one given frame period, by controlling the signal accumulation period in the image sensor.