A microscope apparatus comprising: an objective lens configured to collect light from a sample on a slide; a focus position detecting section configured to detect a focus position of the objective lens with respect to the sample; a focus state adjustment section configured to adjust the focus position with respect to the sample based on a detection result from the focus position detecting section; a magnified-image acquisition section configured to acquire a magnified image of each of a plurality of small regions of the sample; an image combining section configured to create a virtual image of the sample by combining the plurality of adjacent magnified images acquired by the magnified-image acquisition section, a control section and a storage section, characterized in that, the storage section is adapted to store the magnified image acquired by the magnified-image acquisition section at the position of each of the plurality of small regions of the sample and is adapted to store the focus position acquired by said focus position detection section at said position of each of the plurality of small regions, and the control section is adapted to limit the adjustment in the focus position to the depth of focus of the objective lens or less, if the control section determines that the focus position of one of the small regions detected by the focus position detecting section changes by more than a depth of focus of the objective lens with respect to a focus position adjusted when a magnified image adjacent to the small region was obtained and stored in the storage section. an objective lens configured to collect light from a sample on a slide; a focus position detecting section configured to detect a focus position of the objective lens with respect to the sample; a focus state adjustment section configured to adjust the focus position with respect to the sample based on a detection result from the focus position detecting section; a magnified-image acquisition section configured to acquire a magnified image of each of a plurality of small regions of the sample; an image combining section configured to create a virtual image of the sample by combining the plurality of adjacent magnified images acquired by the magnified-image acquisition section, a control section and a storage section, characterized in that, the storage section is adapted to store the magnified image acquired by the magnified-image acquisition section at the position of each of the plurality of small regions of the sample and is adapted to store the focus position acquired by said focus position detection section at said position of each of the plurality of small regions, and the control section is adapted to limit the adjustment in the focus position to the depth of focus of the objective lens or less, if the control section determines that the focus position of one of the small regions detected by the focus position detecting section changes by more than a depth of focus of the objective lens with respect to a focus position adjusted when a magnified image adjacent to the small region was obtained and stored in the storage section. a control section and a storage section, characterized in that, the storage section is adapted to store the magnified image acquired by the magnified-image acquisition section at the position of each of the plurality of small regions of the sample and is adapted to store the focus position acquired by said focus position detection section at said position of each of the plurality of small regions, and the control section is adapted to limit the adjustment in the focus position to the depth of focus of the objective lens or less, if the control section determines that the focus position of one of the small regions detected by the focus position detecting section changes by more than a depth of focus of the objective lens with respect to a focus position adjusted when a magnified image adjacent to the small region was obtained and stored in the storage section.