Patent ID: 7457051

Claim:
An imaging apparatus for imaging a wide area as a subject by dividing the subject into a plurality of subject portions and respectively imaging the subject portions using a plurality of imaging means, characterized in that; said imaging means includes lenses and an imaging element for detecting light beams passing through said lenses, when selecting main light beams positioned in the Gauss region from the main light beams passing through a center of an aperture diaphragm of said lenses in said imaging means, and an NP point is defined as a point at which a straight line component of the selected main light beams in an object space is extended to intersect with an optical axis, respective NP points of said plurality of imaging means are concentrated within a minute radius region based on one of the NP points as a center; in each of said imaging means, an optical element having a reflection function is arranged behind a refraction surface of a lens located at the nearest position from the subject; said imaging element is arranged behind the optical element having said reflection function and outside of a space formed by straight lines which pass from said NP point to circumferential portions in respective directions of said lens; said NP point is arranged behind said optical element; and light beams bent by said optical element having the reflection function are imaged by said imaging element, wherein directions of the light beams bent by said optical element are different from each other.