Image pickup apparatus and image pickup apparatus system

Abstract

An image pickup apparatus includes: an objective optical system for focusing a bundle of light rays from an object into an image; an image sensor placed in the vicinity of the image-forming position of the objective optical system; a dividing element placed between the objective optical system and the image sensor and used for dividing a bundle of light rays from the objective optical system into reflected and transmitted bundles of light rays; a first reflection member for reflecting back the bundle of light rays reflected by the dividing element; and a second reflection member for reflecting the bundle of light rays transmitted by the dividing element, wherein the bundle of light rays reflected by the first reflection member via the dividing element is focused to form an image on a first area of the image sensor, and the bundle of light rays reflected by the second reflection member is focused to form an image on a second area of the image sensor, the second area of the image sensor being different from the first area of the image sensor.

1 - 18 . (canceled) 
     
     
         19 . An image pickup apparatus system comprising:
 an objective optical system for forming an image out of a bundle of light rays traveling from an object;   an image sensor placed in a vicinity of an image-forming position of the objective optical system; and   a dividing and image-forming system for dividing a bundle of light rays traveling from the objective optical system into a first image and a second image that differ from each other in focal position and for forming the first image and the second image as divided on a first area and a second area different from each other on the image sensor, respectively;   wherein the image pickup apparatus system further comprises:   an image-selecting section, the image selecting section comparing, with each other, pixel images in the first area and pixel images in the second area as read out by the image sensor, and then selecting in-focus images, from the pixel images respectively formed as divided on the first area and the second area, as images to be displayed, and   an image processing section capable of adjusting at least one of: white balance, shift of a central position, image rotation, and magnification; of each of the first image and the second image respectively formed on the first area and the second area.   
     
     
         20 . The image pickup apparatus system according to  claim 19 , wherein, the dividing and image-forming system comprises a dividing element for dividing a bundle of light rays into two bundles of light rays, which are a reflected bundle of light rays and a transmitted bundle of light rays, and reflection members for reflecting the reflected bundle of light rays and the transmitted bundle of light rays at least once, respectively, to form the first image and the second image respectively on the first area and the second area on the image sensor. 
     
     
         21 . The image pickup apparatus system according to  claim 20 , wherein, the first image is an image at a near point-side focal position of the objective optical system. 
     
     
         22 . The image pickup apparatus system according to  claim 19 , wherein, the image sensor reads out the pixel images in a direction same as a direction in which the first image in the first area and the second image in the second area align. 
     
     
         23 . The image pickup apparatus system according to  claim 19 , wherein, the image sensor reads out the pixel images in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the first image in the first area and the second image in the second area align, in an alternate manner between the first area and the second area in order from regions farthest from a line that halves the image sensor into the first area and the second area. 
     
     
         24 . The image pickup apparatus system according to  claim 19 , wherein, the image sensor reads out the pixel images in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the first image in the first area and the second image in the second area align, in an alternate manner between the first area and the second area in order from regions nearest to a line that halves the image sensor into the first area and the second area.