IMAGE PICKUP METHOD AND IMAGE PICKUP APPARATUS

An image pickup method includes dividing a surface shape of an object into a plurality of areas, approximating a surface of each of the plurality of areas to a plane, and calculating a slope of the plane, grouping the plurality of areas into m groups so that slopes of planes corresponding to the areas belonging to the same group fall within a permissible range, tilting a stage configured to hold the object so that all slopes of planes belonging to a group k of the m groups can fall within a depth of focus where k is an integer selected from 1 to m, making image sensors corresponding to the areas belonging to the group k among the plurality of image sensors, capture images of the object, and repeating tilting and caputing from k=1 to k=m.