Patent ID: 8120677

Claim:
An imaging apparatus comprising: an imaging element including, an effective pixel unit for converting a light entered to a pixel to a signal charge and outputting as an effective pixel signal, and a vertical pre-stage optical black unit arranged at a pre-stage of the effective pixel unit along a vertical transfer direction, a signal obtained from a light shielded pixel being used as a reference of black level; a storage unit for storing a correction table described with a relationship of a signal corresponding to a dark current generated in the vertical pre-stage optical black unit and an optical black level difference which is a difference between a black level in the vertical pre-stage optical black unit and a black level of an image signal; and an optical black level difference correcting unit for performing a process by sectionalizing the vertical pre-stage optical black unit to a first region positioned on a side opposite to the effective pixel unit along the vertical transfer direction and a second region positioned on the effective pixel unit side and read out after the first region, and calculating a correction amount for correcting the optical black level difference using a signal corresponding to the dark current obtained from the first region and the correction table.