A high dynamic range solid-state image pickup device is provided with a plurality of unit cells (500), which convert light into signal charges and accumulate the signal charges, and are arranged by rows and columns for outputting a signal voltage corresponding to the signal charges; a row selecting circuit (110) and a read transistor (502) for setting an accumulation time period for accumulating the signal charges in the unit cells (500) to a first period and a second period different from each other; a row selecting circuit (110) and a vertical selection transistor (505) for selecting a row; sampling capacitors (210a, 210b) connected to the unit cell (500) of each column; and a pulse generating circuit (220) and sampling transistors (200a, 200b) for selecting an arbitrary sampling capacitor from the sampling capacitors (210a, 210b). The pulse generating circuit (220) and the sampling transistors (200a, 200b) performing selection so as to accumulate the signal voltage corresponding to the signal charges accumulated during the first period and the second period in the sampling capacitors (210a, 210b), respectively.