An electronic still camera comprises an image sensor which allows each of its horizontal lines to be individually specified so that a video signal contained in each specified horizontal line can be read, a storage circuit for storing the video signal read from the image sensor, a selecting circuit for selecting a high-speed continuous shooting mode, and a controlling circuit for executing, when the high-speed continuous shooting mode is selected by the selecting circuit, control to effect a high-speed reading for reading the video signal from the image sensor by thinning out the horizontal lines of the image sensor, and to cause the storage circuit to store video signals for a plurality of pictures obtained by the high-speed reading.