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Polarization microscopes are widely used for the analysis of the polarization properties of liquid crystals, birefringent crystals, magneto-optical materials, and biological specimens. The resolution of a conventional polarization microscope is limited because the higher-numerical-aperture (higher-NA) lenses give the lower-contrast images. High-NA lenses themselves distort the polarization state of incident light. The confocal-type polarization microscope did not reduce the contrast of an image when a high-NA lens was used to observe polarizing specimens. A pinhole in a confocal system eliminates the light components whose polarizations are distorted by the lens. As a result, confocal-type polarization microscopes can achieve a higher resolution and higher contrast than can a conventional polarization microscope. Confocal-type polarization microscopes generate, however, a rather complicated observed image to understand.