Patent ID: 8031241

Claim:
A solid-state imaging device comprising: a pixel array unit configured by arranging unit pixels including charge generating units and output transistors that output processing object signals corresponding to charges generated by the charge generating units; an imaging-condition determining unit that compares a determination level suitable for each of the unit pixels with the processing object signals outputted from the unit pixels to determine whether a large light-amount imaging condition, when an amount of light larger than that of light representing a saturation level is made incident on the charge generating units, is satisfied; a control unit that performs control, on condition that the imaging-condition determining unit determines that the large light-amount imaging condition is satisfied, to correct an output signal based on the processing object signals outputted from the unit pixels such that a harmful effect due to the large light-amount imaging condition is suppressed in the output signal; and a reference-signal generating unit that generates a reference signal having an initial value for determining whether the large light-amount imaging condition is satisfied and the determination level in time series, wherein, the imaging-condition determining unit includes a comparing unit that compares the reference signal generated by the reference-signal generating unit with signals outputted from the unit pixels, and the imaging-condition determining unit resets, in a period in which the reference signal is at the initial value, the comparing unit to an operation reference value for reading out the processing object signals to set the determination level suitable for each of the unit pixels and, then, performs a comparison processing in a period in which the reference signal is at the determination level.