Abstract: An exposure controller including a backlight correction calculator where the amount of incident light is integrated to obtain an average luminance of an entire image pickup plane, and the average luminance is multiplied by a predetermined factor to set a HIST reference level. In a HIST detector, an object scene portion in the image pickup plane is separated from a background portion on the basis of the HIST reference level, and the average luminance of the object scene portion is detected. Further the difference between the average luminance of the entire plane and that of the object scene portion is calculated in the backlight correction calculator, and gain control is executed with respect to the calculated luminance difference to thereby obtain a backlight correction quantity. Then automatic exposure is performed in accordance with such backlight correction quantity, hence ensuring exact prevention of a phenomenon that the object scene in a backlight state is rendered dark.

Abstract: A video camera capable of controlling white balance according to the color temperature of an object comprises an image pickup device, an edge detecting means for detecting a vertical edge in a signal provided by the image pickup device, a primary color generating means for generating three primary color signals from the signal provided by the image pickup device, and a color temperature calculating means for calculating the color temperature of the object from three primary color signals provided by the primary color generating circuit. The color temperature calculating means reduces the effect of the three primary color signals given thereto by the primary color generating means on calculation when the level of a vertical edge signal is high.