Abstract: Image pickup device comprising a matrix having horizontal rows and vertical columns of image pickup elements and having means supplying clock signals to the matrix of pickup elements in order to shift image information in the column direction in the time delay and integration mode. Along each column in image pickup elements at predetermined positions a determination is made of whether the charge at those positions exceeds a limit value. If so, the charge in such image pickup elements is removed completely and integration starts again. From the charge in the last element in a column as well as the number of times charge has been removed it can be deduced what the total charge would have been without removal.Thus images can be recorded the contrast ratio of which otherwise would exceed the maximum contrast ratio which the image pickup device is capable of recording.