Patent ID: 8203625

Claim:
An image capture device comprising: an optical system for producing a subject's image; an imager with multiple photodiodes, the imager reading from the photodiode an electrical signal representing an intensity of light that has been incident on the multiple photodiodes, thereby generating an image signal representing the subject's image; a controller, which acquires sensitivity information by photometry in order to adjust sensitivity of the imager to light and which selects a reading method from multiple methods for reading the electrical signal from the multiple photodiodes according to the sensitivity information acquired; and a driver for driving the imager according to the reading method selected, wherein the multiple reading methods include a mixing reading method, by which the electrical signals supplied from the photodiodes are added together and then output, and wherein the multiple reading methods include a standard reading method, by which the electrical signals supplied from the respective photodiodes are output without being added together, and wherein the controller selects either the standard reading method or the mixing reading method, and the respective numbers of pixels of the image signals generated by the standard and mixing reading methods are equal to each other.