To provide a camera with an image switching function capable of assuredly
recording mode preventing the generation of a hunting upon switching the
image recording mode, an image pick-up signal obtained by a CCD image
pick-up element 1% is outputted as a color video signal or a
black-and-white video signal in accordance with an image recording mode
through processes by an analog signal processing part 2, an A/D
converting part 3, a digital signal processing part 4 and a video output
part 5. A control part 6 controls all the operations of a camera
including process determining the image record mode. The image record
mode basically determined in accordance a luminance signal. The image
record mode is set to a color image record mode under a high luminance
and set to a black-and-white image record mode under a low luminance.
However, when the image pick-up signal is formed under near infrared
radiation even high luminance, the image record mode is set to the
black-and-white image record mode. Whether or not the image pick-up
signal is formed by the near infrared radiation is decided by analyzing
color signals of image pick-up signal.