Patent ID: 7907170

Claim:
An electronic endoscope, comprising: a light source that radiates illuminating light; a movie-image processor that alternately reads odd-field image-pixel signals corresponding to an odd-field and even-field image-pixel signals corresponding to an even-field to generate a movie-image; a still-image processor that alternately reads odd-line image-pixel signals and even-line image-pixel signals over two field intervals to generate a still image on the basis of one frame worth of image-pixel signals generated by a one-time still image exposure, the illuminating light being blocked for a latter field interval in the two field intervals; an image change processor that switches between an operation of said movie-image processor for displaying the movie-image and an operation of said still-image processor for displaying the still-image; and a provisional image displayer that displays a provisional image on the basis of at least one of odd-field image-pixel signals and even-field image-pixel signals that are obtained by an exposure before the still image exposure for recording a still image, while said still-image processor reads the odd-line and even-line image-pixel signals over the two field intervals, wherein, when the operation of the still-image processor is started, the provisional image displayer displays, in order, a first provisional image based on even-field image-pixel signals that are obtained by an exposure before the still image exposure and subsequently a second provisional image based on odd-field image-pixel signals that are obtained by an exposure before the still image exposure, until the still-image processor finishes reading the odd-line and even-line image-pixel signals over the two field intervals.