Patent ID: 8675103

Claim:
An image sensor for electronic cameras, comprising: a plurality of light sensitive pixels arranged in rows and columns for generating exposure proportional signals, wherein the pixels of a respective column are coupled via at least one respective column line to at least one respective column read-out circuit, and wherein the respective column read-out circuit includes at least two column amplifiers connected in parallel; and a control device for controlling a read-out of an image, wherein a read-out process for a respective pixel includes at least one read-out cycle; wherein the gain factor of at least one of the two column amplifiers of the respective column read-out circuit is adjustable; and wherein the image sensor includes a first operating manner and a second operating manner, wherein in the first operating manner the two column amplifiers have different gain factors for a respective read-out cycle and the signal of a pixel of a row is amplified by the two different gain factors, and wherein in the second operating manner the two column amplifiers have the same gain factor for a respective read-out cycle and the signals of two pixels of two different rows are amplified by the same gain factor, wherein the image sensor includes at least two of the following operating modes: a normal mode in which the image sensor is operated only in the first operating manner; a high-speed mode in which the image sensor is operated only in the second operating manner; and a high-dynamic mode in which the image sensor is first operated in the second operating manner and subsequently in the first operating manner.