Camera apparatus and image processing method

A camera apparatus, comprising:

• an optical system;
• a photographing element for converting a light signal of an object to be photographed from the optical system to an electric signal;
• an A/D conversion unit for converting the electric signal from the photographing element to image data;
• a control means for compressing the image data from the A/D conversion unit, converting the compressed image data to a prescribed format, and producing thumbnail image data corresponding to the compressed and converted image data;
• and
• means for recording the image data of the prescribed format corresponding to each photographed object starting at a head end of a data area on an optical disc and recording the thumbnail image data sequentially backwards from a terminal end of the data area on said optical disk;
• whereby the image data is physically separated from the corresponding thumbnail image data,
• wherein the image data of the prescribed format is read by a personal computer from the optical disc without being transferred to the personal computer.