PURPOSE: To prevent already recorded necessary data from being destroyed by preventing abnormal data from being recorded to a memory card over a prescribed cluster number.

CONSTITUTION: Since picture data are recorded by using N-pieces clusters, the count value of an address counter 10 is stopped at the N. When a cluster switching signal is outputted from a code amount counter 32 corresponding to the (N+1)th cluster, a flip-flop circuit 22 outputs a cluster over signal and the data are stopped being sent from a three-state buffer 38 to a memory card 44. The cluster over signal is sent to an address counter 12 as well and the count of the address counter 12 is reset. Therefore, for example, even when abnormality is generated at an encoder part 28, etc., and a normal operation is not executed, the data are prevented from being outputted from the encoder part 28 over the prescribed number N.