Patent ID: 8922886

Claim:
A microscope apparatus comprising: an illumination apparatus which includes: a surface light emitter, a light diffusing element, and a light shielding plate, wherein the surface light emitter has a light emitting surface as a planar light emitting region and is configured to irradiate a sample with light emitted from the light emitting surface, the light shielding plate is parallel to the light emitting surface and is arranged at a position between the surface light emitter and the light diffusing element, the position being closer to the surface light emitter than to the light diffusing element; and an imaging optical system which includes an objective lens configured to condense light from the sample, and a variable power lens group configured to form an image of the sample by changing a magnification of the image along a magnification range having a first end and a second end, wherein the imaging optical system provides a region where diffused conjugate images of an entrance pupil of the imaging optical system are formed via the light diffusing element, moves the region according to the change in the magnification from one of the first and second ends of the magnification range to the other of the first and second ends, and provides a common region that is common to the region as the region is moved from said one of the first and second ends of the magnification range to said other of the first and second ends, and the surface light emitter and the light shielding plate are arranged within a range of the common region.