Digital electronic still camera having removable record means

Claim 1

A digital electronic still camera comprising a solid state image pickup element for picking up an image of a subject to produce a pickup image signal, means for reading out the pickup image signal for one frame in a line sequential relationship from said solid state image pickup element, means for converting the thus read out pickup image signal successively into a digital signal, a digital memory for temporarily storing the digital signal therein, means for writing the digital signal into a removable record medium having a reading and writing circuit, said record medium being removably mounted on said digital electronic still camera, and reading out such digital data from the record medium, and a recording and reproducing circuit for recording additional information such as an operation characteristic of said digital electronic still camera into the removable record medium and reproducing such additional information on the record medium, wherein said digital memory includes a plurality of memories each for storing the digital signal therein, a plurality of compressing circuits each for compressing the digital signal from the corresponding memory and a plurality of buffer memories each for temporarily storing therein the compressed digital data from the corresponding compressing circuit, and means for selectively coupling said plurality of memories to said converting means and the removable record medium.