Imaging device and imaging method

An imaging device, comprising:

• an imaging section, including an image sensor for forming a subject image and outputting image data,
• a saturation determination section for, in the case where imaging has been carried out under conditions that have been set for actual exposure, determining whether or not pixel output of at least some of the image data is saturated,
• a divided exposure time detection section for, in the event that it has been determined by the saturation determination section that at least some pixel outputs are saturated, detecting a divided exposure time at which the pixel outputs are not saturated, and
• an image processing section for applying image processing to image data that has been acquired by the imaging section,
• wherein
• the image processing section is provided with a gain application section for applying minus gain to respective divided exposure image data that as been imaged at the divided exposure time detected by the divided exposure time detection section, and an additive combination section for subjecting the divided exposure image data, that has had minus gain applied, to additive combination, and
• the additive combination section, at the time of imaging in the imaging section, additively combines image data, that have been acquired by dividing exposure at the divided exposure time, and to which minus gain has been respectively applied by the gain application section, to create combined image data.

An imaging method wherein:

• an image forming step forms a subject image using an image sensor and outputting image data,
• a saturation determination step, in the case where imaging has been carried out under conditions that have been set for actual exposure, determines whether or not pixel output of at least some of the image data is saturated,
• a divided exposure time detection step, in the event that it has been determined in the saturation determination step that at least some pixel outputs are saturated, detects a divided exposure time at which the pixel outputs are not saturated, and
• an image processing step applies image processing to image data that has been acquired in the imaging section,
• wherein
• the image processing step is provided with an additive combination step that carries out additive combination of image data, and a gain application step that applies minus gain to image data that has been subjected to additive combination in the additive combination step, and
• the additive combination step, at the time of the imaging step, further additively combines a plurality of divided image data, that have been acquired by dividing exposure at the divided exposure time, and have had minus gain applied, to create taken image data.

An imaging method wherein:

• an image forming step forms a subject image using an image sensor and outputting image data,
• a saturation determination step, in the case where imaging has been carried out under conditions that have been set for actual exposure, determines whether or not pixel output of at least some of the image data is saturated,
• a divided exposure time detection step, in the event that it has been determined in the saturation determination step that at least some pixel outputs are saturated, detects a divided exposure time at which the pixel outputs are not saturated, and
• an image processing step applies image processing to image data that has been acquired in the imaging section,
• wherein
• the image processing step is provided with a gain application step that applies minus gain to image data, and an additive combination step that carries out additive combination of image data, after having applied minus gain in the gain application step, and
• the additive combination step, at the time of the imaging step, performs additive combination of image data, that have been acquired by dividing exposure at the divided exposure time, and that have respectively had minus gain.