Patent ID: 8314864

Claim:
An imaging apparatus, comprising: an image pickup device having a first vertical optical black region and a second vertical optical black region; storage means for storing pixel signals in at least one of the vertical optical black regions among pixel signals outputted from the image pickup device; calculation means for calculating a value of a difference between a pixel signal of a pixel in the first vertical optical black region and a pixel signal of a pixel in the second vertical optical black region for every column among the pixel signals outputted from the image pickup device; subtraction means for performing a subtraction operation of subtracting a pixel signal stored in the storage means from a pixel signal outputted from the image pickup device; output means for calculating a gain value by integrating a plurality of values calculated by the calculation means for every column and outputting the calculated gain value; and subtraction control means for controlling the subtracting operation by the subtraction means to multiply the pixel signals stored in the storage means by the gain value outputted from the output means and to subtract the multiplied pixel signals from the pixel signals outputted from the image pickup device.