Imaging means microscope apparatus and an endoscope apparatus

Imaging means (100) comprises an imaging unit (102), the illumination unit (104), the image characteristic setting unit (106). Imaging means (102) for imaging a subject to obtain an image associated with the subject. The lighting unit (104) configured to have an optical characteristic of the subject irradiated with illumination light of a plurality of different single or multiple light sources. The image characteristic setting unit (106) is set to an image characteristic of an image acquired in the imaging unit (102), in order to effectively obtain images having the image characteristics set by the imaging unit (102), each comprising a reference information light quantity control characteristic of the light source, the light source characteristic information information, and information of the polarization characteristic spectral distribution characteristic of the light distribution pattern characteristic of at least one of the illumination setting of at least one lighting unit (104) the amount of light, the light distribution pattern, or the spectral distribution of the polarization characteristics.