PURPOSE: To obtain an excellent picture which pickup timing of odd and even number fields are coincident by adopting a sequential read system reading video signals of even number fields are read simultaneously and using a system control section to control a shutter period of an image pickup element based on a discrimination signal of odd and even number fields.

CONSTITUTION: An image pickup element drive section 5 sends a signal discriminating either an odd or even number field of a video signal outputted from an image pickup element 40 to a system control section 14. A video signal 60A discriminated to be an odd number field signal by a discrimination signal 20cS of odd and even number fields is inputted to an IC memory card 11 as a write and control signal to an A address space 12 and a video signal 60B discriminated to be an even number field signal by the discrimination signal 20cS of odd and even number fields is inputted to the IC memory card 11 as a write and control signal to a B address space 13 and stored respectively. Thus, pictures with different pickup timing depending on odd and even number fields are avoided.