Patent ID: 7848575

Claim:
An imaging apparatus that samples an optically formed image using an electronic imaging device to acquire the image as image data, the imaging apparatus comprising: an optical zoom portion that optically changes a magnification of the image; and an electronic zoom portion that changes a size of the image by electrical signal processing; wherein the electronic zoom portion at least operates when the optical zoom portion is not set at a telephoto end, so that a total magnification is determined by changing a magnification of the optical zoom portion and changing a magnification of the electronic zoom portion, and a pixel count s 1 of the electronic imaging device, a pixel count s 2 of a rectangle including pixels on the electronic imaging device that is used by the electronic zoom portion, and a pixel count s 3 of an output satisfy s 1 ≧s 2 >s 3 or s 1 >s 2 ≧s 3 ; and wherein a focal length f t of an optical zoom at the telephoto end, a focal length f w at a wide-angle end, and a focal length f with the use of electronic zoom satisfy f w f t ≤ f f t < 1.