Still picture recording digital camera which outputs a dynamic picture when incident light is limited and outputs a still picture when incident light is interrupted

A still picture recording digital camera comprising:

• light quantity limiting means for limiting incident light to the camera;
• image pickup means including a pixel for converting the incident light to an electric pixel signal for only a predetermined exposure time and outputting the pixel signal as a digital image signal;
• signal processing means for generating a digital image signal having a predetermined format;
• recording means for recording the digital image signal output from said image pickup means or said signal processing means;
• said image pickup means converting a predetermined limited light quantity, to which said light quantity limiting means limited the incident light, to an electric dynamic picture digital image signal for only a predetermined exposure time and outputting the dynamic picture digital image signal;
• said recording means or separate recording means recording information on the limited light quantity, and information on the exposure time involved in the predetermined signal processing performed on the dynamic digital image signal by said signal processing means or information on the signal processing;
• the information stored in said recording means or separate recording means controlling a time taken for said light quantity limiting means to interrupt the incident light or the exposure time involved in the still picture digital image signal output from said image pickup means after said light quantity limiting means has interrupted the incident light or the signal processing which said signal processing means performs on the still picture digital image signal.

A still picture recording digital camera comprising:

• light quantity limiting means for interrupting incident light;
• a pixel for converting incident light;
• image pickup means for outputting a signal of said pixel as a digital image signal;
• a signal processing means for generating a digital image signal having a predetermined format;
• and
• recording means for storing a digital signal of a still picture outputted from said image pickup means or said signal processing means;
• wherein said light quantity limiting means interrupts incident light after limiting said incident light to a predetermined amount, said image pickup means outputs a digital signal of a dynamic picture when said light quantity limiting means is limiting the incident light and outputs a digital signal of a still picture after said light quantity limiting means has interrupted the incident light to said signal processing means or to said recording means, said signal processing means performs a different signal processing operation when said signal processing means receives the digital signal of said still picture and when said signal processing means receives the digital signal of said dynamic picture, said recording means records the digital signal of said still picture supplied from said image pickup means and said signal processing means to output said recorded digital signal of said still picture through said signal processing means or without processing of said signal processing means.

A still picture recording digital camera comprising:

• light quantity limiting means for interrupting incident light to the camera;
• image pickup means including a pixel for converting the incident light to an electric pixel signal and outputting the pixel signal as a digital image signal;
• signal processing means for generating a digital image signal having a predetermined format;
• recording means for recording the digital image signal output from said image pickup means or said signal processing means;
• said light quantity limiting means limiting the incident light quantity to a predetermined quantity and then interrupting the incident light;
• said image pickup means outputting a dynamic picture digital image signal when said light quantity limiting means is limiting the incident light quantity to the predetermined quantity and outputting a still picture digital image signal after said light quantity limiting means has interrupted the incident light;
• and
• said signal processing means outputting as a parallel or as a serial digital signal a luminance signal and color difference signals produced from the received still picture digital image signal or an RGB signal or the received still picture digital image signal.