Magnified observation apparatus

A magnified observation apparatus, comprising:

• an observation unit including:
• a light source configured to irradiate a specimen with illumination light;
• and an imaging unit configured to form an image of reflected light from the specimen;
• a light quantity parameter table recording unit configured to store plural light quantity parameter tables therein, each of the plural light quantity parameter tables including:
• a minimum value and a maximum value of light quantity of the illumination light;
• and a unit manipulation amount obtained by division of an interval between the minimum value and the maximum value by a predetermined division number, maximum values in the plural light quantity parameter tables being different from one another;
• a light quantity parameter selecting unit configured to select one light quantity parameter table from the plural light quantity parameter tables;
• and
• a light source control unit configured to increase or decreases light quantity of the illumination light, correspondingly to magnitude of the unit manipulation amount in the light quantity parameter table selected by the light quantity parameter selecting unit, according to input of an instruction by an operator.