Abstract: A foldable, portable optical instrument has an optical imaging head for providing an image of, or video signals of, a material placed on a table of a main housing structure of the optical instrument. The foldable instrument includes a head support mounted for raising-up and folding-down movement to rotatably support the imaging head and to position the imaging head over the table, units for illuminating the material on the table, respective supporting structures mounted for raising-up and folding-down movement to support the illumination units upwardly with respect to the table when the head support is raised up, and a cover attached to the head support for covering the illumination units and the supporting structures when the head support is folded down. The foldable instrument is provided with a carrying handle which can be drawn out of the outline of the instrument when the unit is folded down to enable grasping to carry around the instrument.