An image sensor is described that has programmable multiresolution readout capability. Unlike the previously reported spatially variant sampling sensor which sub-samples without filtering, this sensor averages blocks of the pixels and reads them out. It thus does not suffer aliasing effects. The 64×64 pixel array is programmed to read out the averaged pixel values around the center pixels. These values can be computed for differing block sizes (3×3, 5×5, or 7×7) around the center pixel. The block size can be selected for each pixel, and the blocks can overlap. The use of this sensor will, for example, eliminate the need for software-intensive image pyramid reconstruction.