Patent ID: 8179597

Claim:
A biological specimen imaging method in which a biological specimen, which is stored in a storing section of a substrate having plural storing sections, emits a feeble light in an observed target region that is imaged through an objective lens, the method comprising: moving any one of the substrate and the objective lens or both until the desired storing section falls within the field of view of the objective lens, measuring any one of a focal position at a near point and the focal position at a far point of the objective lens or both under irradiated light, wherein the focal position at the near point is at the portion of the biological specimen closest to the objective lens and the focal position at the far point is at the portion of the biological specimen furthest from the objective lens; determining a central position between the focal position at the near point and the focal position at the far point as the focal position of the objective lens focused on the observed target region in the biological specimen stored in the desired storing section based on the measured focal position, and adjusting the focal position of the objective lens to the determined focal position so as to image the biological specimen through the objective lens.