Patent ID: 7653266

Claim:
An image pickup apparatus comprising: a solid-state imaging device in which a plurality of pixels are arranged in a two-dimensional array, thereof the number of effective horizontal pixels is H and the number of effective vertical pixels is V; a mode setting portion that sets one of a plurality of aspect modes including a first aspect mode and a second aspect mode; and an image processor that generates first image data for recording in the first aspect mode, and generates second image data for recording in the second aspect mode, wherein the first image data for recording is generated using image data that is generated with pixels being H 1 horizontal pixels by V 1 vertical pixels included in the pixels on the solid-state imaging device or image data that is obtained by subjecting said image data to predetermined processing, the second image data for recording is generated using image data that is generated with pixels being H 2 horizontal pixels by V 2 vertical pixels included in the pixels on the solid-state imaging device or image data that is obtained by subjecting said image data to predetermined processing, and the first image data for recording and the second image data for recording satisfy the following relationships: H2<H1≦H, and V1<V2≦V.