To provide an imaging apparatus for vehicles capable of highly accurately determining both the presence or absence of raindrops and contrast, while one imaging apparatus doubles as both a raindrop sensor and an auto light sensor.

The imaging region of a camera 11 is pointed at front of a vehicle. The lower half of the imaging region of the camera 11 is a raindrop adhesion determining region (a first imaging region), and the upper half of the imaging region of the camera 11 is a contrast determining region (a second imaging region). The focal point of a lens 12 is adjusted to the vicinity of a windshield 2. Since the focal point of the lens 12 is adjusted to the vicinity of the windshield 2 in the contrast determining region, images of front of the vehicle are obtained in blurrs by imaging. Raindrops adhering to the windshield 2 are obtained clear, by imaging in the raindrop adhesion determination region. It is thus, possible to attain determination of raindrop adhesion and contrast determination, with high accuracy by using a single imaging element.