Abstract: An observation device where a first light path in an illumination optical system is different from a second light path in an object optical system, the illumination optical system includes a light source that emits the illumination light in a first direction, and an illumination deflector that deflects the illumination light from the first direction to a second direction, a pre-reflected illumination angle between a pedestal surface holding the sample and the first direction is smaller than a post-reflected illumination angle between the pedestal surface and the second direction, the object optical system includes a transmission deflector that deflects the transmission light transmitted through the sample from a third direction to a fourth direction, and a post-reflected transmission angle between the pedestal surface and the fourth direction is smaller than a pre-reflected transmission angle between the pedestal surface and the third direction.

Abstract: A rotary self-advancing endoscope system which produces propulsion by rotating, with a motor, a rotating cylindrical body provided on an outer periphery side of an insertion portion main body and causes the insertion portion main body to move forward into an examinee's body, wherein the system is configured to periodically repeating a combination of a state in which the rotating cylindrical body forward-rotates at a predetermined RPM and a state in which the rotating cylindrical body is stopped from rotating and releases accumulated elastic energy and, when a drive current to the motor has reached a predetermined threshold value, reverse-rotate the motor.

Abstract: A confocal microscope apparatus comprises a first optical scanning system which obtains a scan image of a sample using a laser beam from a first laser light source, a second optical scanning system which scans specific regions of a sample with a laser beam from a second laser light source that is different from the first laser light source, thereby causing a particular phenomenon, and a beam diameter varying mechanism which can change the beam diameter of the laser beam of at least one of the first optical scanning system and the second optical scanning system. With this configuration, the apparatus further comprises an excitation light intensity distribution calculator which calculates and stores the excitation light intensity distribution along a depth direction on the sample surface from the beam diameter of the laser beam output from the beam diameter varying mechanism.

Abstract: An image having the image quality desired by a photographer is provided by minimizing overexposure or underexposure, making the dynamic range wide, and specifying an optimum brightness level for a main subject.