Patent ID: 8158920

Claim:
A photoelectric conversion apparatus comprising: a plurality of pixels each including a photoelectric conversion unit; a signal line which is connected to the plurality of pixels; a holding block which, while a readout pixel is selected from the plurality of pixels, temporarily holds a first signal and a second signal output from the readout pixel to the signal line at different timings; an output unit which generates an image signal by calculating a difference between the first signal and the second signal held in the holding block and which outputs the generated image signal; and a control unit which controls the holding block, wherein the holding block includes a first holding unit, a second holding unit, a third holding unit, a fourth holding unit, a first impedance conversion unit, and a second impedance conversion unit, and the control unit selectively operates the holding block in one of a first mode and a second mode, the first mode being a mode in which the first signal is held in the first holding unit and then transferred from the first holding unit to the second holding unit via the first impedance conversion unit, and in which the second signal is held in the third holding unit and then transferred from the third holding unit to the fourth holding unit via the second impedance conversion unit, and the second mode being a mode in which the first signal is transferred to the second holding unit via the first impedance conversion unit and the second signal is transferred to the fourth holding unit via the first impedance conversion unit.