PURPOSE: To provide a small video camera by miniaturizing the lens barrel of a photographic optical system.

CONSTITUTION: The photographic optical system is provided with a element 9 which controls light transmittance, and is provided with a correction means which corrects the light transmittance waveflength dependency of the element 9. As the correction means, for example, the one which adjusts correction quantity corresponding to the light transmittance characteristic of the element 9 is used, and such means can be provided by changing the coefficient of white balance, or changing the sensitivity of an image pickup device 10 by optical wavelength, or changing the light transmittance or area of each color part of a color filter. Also, it is desirable to use another element with characteristic opposite to that of the element 9.