PURPOSE: To obtain the photographed picture of high definition and high quality by increasing the number of effective picture elements by using an ordinary image pickup element.

CONSTITUTION: Image pickup light L having passed through a lens 1 is divided into plural beams L1, L2 of equal quantity of light by a beam splitter 2, and they are imaged respectively on image formation surfaces A, B at different positions. Then, picture information from each image pickup element 101 to 104 whose light receiving part is arranged at a divided position not neighboring each other when the image of a subject on each image formation surface A, B is divided into plural parts is synthesized by a picture synthesis circuit 3.