A solid-state image pickup apparatus 1A is formed such that M x N (where M <； N and M and N are integers greater than or equal to 2) pixels are two-dimensionally arrayed in M rows and N columns, and has a photodetecting section 10A having a rectangular photosensitive surface whose longitudinal direction is the row direction. The solid-state image pickup apparatus 1A is supported rotatably by a rotation controlling section, and the rotation controlling section controls a rotation angle of the solid-state image pickup apparatus 1A such that the longitudinal direction of the photodetecting section 10A is made parallel to a moving direction B of the solid-state image pickup apparatus 1A in one imaging mode of the two imaging modes, and the longitudinal direction of the photodetecting section 10A is made perpendicular to the moving direction B of the solid-state image pickup apparatus 1A in the other imaging mode of the two imaging modes.
