Z sharpening for fibre confocal microscopes

An image sharpening apparatus for use in making a confocal microscopy or endoscopy observation, comprising:

• a light condenser for collecting true confocal return light emanating from an observational field of an object, for focussing said true confocal return light into a core of a fiber wave-guide, for collecting near confocal return light from a volume partially overlapping said observational field and thereby defining an overlap volume, and for focussing said near confocal return light into said fiber wave-guide so as to be transmitted principally in a cladding of said fiber wave-guide;
• detection means for detecting said true confocal return light and said near confocal return light, and to produce respectively a true confocal output signal and a near confocal output signal;
• and
• signal processing means for adjusting said true confocal output signal on the basis of said near confocal output signal to substantially eliminate from said true confocal output signal a component due to said near confocal output signal;
• whereby the effective volume of said observational field is reduced and the resolution of said observation is effectively increased.