Patent ID: 7952619

Claim:
An electronic zooming apparatus, comprising: a first reader for reading a predetermined amount of original pixel data which is horizontally continuous from a designated pixel decided on the basis of a zooming magnification out of image data stored in a first memory; a horizontal thinner for outputting thinned pixel data by performing 1/n times (n is natural number) thinning processing in a horizontal direction on said original pixel data read by said first reader when a zooming magnification is equal to or larger than n, and outputting said original pixel data as it is when said zooming magnification is smaller than n; a second memory being written with said thinned pixel data or said original pixel data; a second reader for reading said original pixel data from said second memory when said zooming magnification is smaller than n, and reading said thinned pixel data from said second memory when said zooming magnification is equal to or larger than n; and a zooming processor for producing a zoomed image by performing zooming processing on said thinned pixel data or said original pixel data read by said second reader.