Patent ID: 8675046

Claim:
An endoscope apparatus, comprising: a light source unit that outputs white light and narrow-band light of a predetermined wavelength band to a subject; a scope that obtains an endoscopic image by imaging the subject to which the white light or the narrow-band light has been output from the light source unit; spectral image generation means that generates a spectral estimation image by performing a matrix operation on the endoscopic image obtained by the scope when the white light was output to the subject; imaging state judgment means that judges whether the endoscopic image obtained by the scope has been obtained by a close-up imaging or by a distant-view imaging; and imaging control means that controls imaging in such a manner that when the imaging state judgment means has judged that the endoscopic image was obtained by the distant-view imaging, the white light is output from the light source unit and the spectral estimation image generated by the spectral image generation means is output, and when the imaging state judgment means has judged that the endoscopic image was obtained by the close-up imaging, the narrow-band light is output from the light source unit and a narrow-band observation image that has been obtained when the narrow-band light was output is output, wherein the light source unit includes a diaphragm for adjusting an amount of light illuminating the subject, wherein the imaging control means comprises a function of automatically adjusting the diaphragm, without a user interaction, so that a brightness of the endoscopic image becomes a predetermined value, and wherein the imaging state judgment means judges, based on the aperture of the diaphragm, whether the endoscopic image was obtained by the close-up imaging or by the distant-view imaging.