The present invention provides a method and apparatus for image sharpening in a confocal microscopy or endoscopy observation, the method comprising: collecting true confocal return light emanating from an observational field of an object; focussing the true confocal return light into a core of a fibre wave-guide; collecting near confocal return light from a volume partially overlapping the observational field and thereby defining an overlap volume; focussing the near confocal return light into the fibre wave-guide so as to be transmitted principally in a cladding of the fibre wave-guide; separately detecting the true confocal return light and the near confocal return light to produce a true confocal output signal and a near confocal output signal; and adjusting the true confocal output signal on the basis of the near confocal output signal to substantially eliminate from the true confocal output signal a component due to the near confocal output signal; whereby the effective volume of the observational field is reduced and the resolution of the observation is effectively increased.
