The present invention is directed to a solid state imaging device comprising a red pixel, a blue pixel, a first green pixel, a second green pixel, two analog-to-digital converters and a color interpolation circuit. The first analog-to-digital converter converts the output of the red pixel and output of the blue pixel into digital signals. The second analog-to-digital converter converts the output of the first green pixel and output of the second green pixel into digital signals. The color interpolation circuit combines the digital signals to determine the color of the pixel. The solid state imaging device may further comprise a third analog-to-digital converter, a fourth analog-to-digital converter, a programmable clock generator and a control. The third analog-to-digital converter converts the output of the blue pixel into a digital signal and the fourth analog-to-digital converter converts the output of the second green pixel into a digital signal. The programmable clock generator has a first clock frequency and a second clock frequency, where the first clock frequency is slower than the second clock frequency. The control is coupled to the programmable clock generator, the third analog-to-digital converter and the fourth analog-to-digital converter. The control deactivates the third and fourth analog-to-digital converters if the programmable clock generator is at the first clock frequency, and the control activates the third and fourth analog-to-digital converters if the programmable clock generator is at the second clock frequency.

An image sensing apparatus is provided, in which the charges of four pixels that are adjacent in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction are mixed and output, and combinations of pixel mixings in the horizontal direction are changed at each line, so that signals after four pixels have been mixed are in an offset sampling relation for each line. Furthermore, a color filter of, for example, an RGB primary color stripe arrangement is provided such that three independent color signals can be attained in both a still picture image sensing (all pixel readout) mode and in a moving picture image sensing (four pixel mixing readout) mode.

In short, the image processing device for obtaining a single image by using a plurality of image-pickup elements comprises a plurality of image-pickup signal processing circuits that are provided for each of the image-pickup elements, an image arrangement conversion circuit which converts the read-out order of the images corresponding to the respective image-pickup elements that are output from the image-pickup signal processing circuits, an image splitting processing circuit for performing image splitting on the image that is output from the image arrangement conversion circuit, an image processing circuit for performing image processing in parallel on each of the split images, and an image compression circuit for compressing in parallel each of the split images that are output from the image processing circuit.

A color image sensor has imaging elements each structured to form, at an image plane, an image of a subject having a respective magnification. Ones of the imaging elements forming respective ones of the images with the same magnification in light of mutually different colors constitute a set characterized by the magnification of the images. The sets having mutually-different magnifications. The color image sensor additionally has a light sensor located in the image plane and comprising a region of sensor elements disposed opposite each of the imaging elements. The regions of sensor elements opposite each of the sets of imaging elements are operable to generate, in response to light incident thereon, a respective color image signal representing the image of the subject at the respective magnification.

An image pickup device includes a first, second, and third sensors respectively sensitive to light in the blue, green, and red wavelength ranges, and a fourth sensor sensitive to light in a certain wavelength range between a first and second wavelengths, where spectral sensitivity distributions of the first and second sensors have peaks at the first and second wavelengths, respectively. A white balance adjusting device for adjusting a white balance in an image represented by a first, second, and third signals respectively output from the first, second, and third sensors includes a unit which inputs the first, second, and third signals and a fourth signal output from the fourth sensor, a first modulation unit which modulates the first signal according to an absolute value of a difference between the first and fourth signals, and outputs a first modulated signal, and a white balance adjustment unit which obtains a white balance based on color image data comprised of the first modulated signal and the second and third signals. Alternatively, the white balance adjusting device further includes a second modulation unit which modulates the third signal according to an absolute value of a difference between the third and fourth signals, and outputs a second modulated signal. In this case, the white balance obtains a white balance based on color image data comprised of the first and second modulated signals and the second signal.