ILLUMINATION DEVICE AND ILLUMINATION PROCESS WITH CONTRAST VARIATION

An illumination device () with a main illumination unit () and an auxiliary illumination unit (). Each illumination unit () includes a plurality of light source groups, respectively, which can be controlled individually. The maximum illuminance achieved by the main illumination unit () on an illuminated surface (Ob) is several times greater than the maximum illuminance achieved by the auxiliary illumination unit (). The light field (light field diameter) of the main illumination unit () on the surface (Ob) has a significantly smaller area than the dlight field of the auxiliary illumination unit (). The switched-on auxiliary illumination unit () is able to reduce the contrast of the illumination device ().