1. A method of inspecting defects of a circuit pattern formed on a specimen comprising the steps of: taking images and acquiring images of a first area on the specimen on which the circuit pattern has been formed, processing the images acquired in the first area and setting inspection conditions, taking images successively in a second area wider than the first area on the specimen on which the circuit pattern has been formed and acquiring the images, processing the images acquired by taking successive images of the second area by using the inspection conditions set, correcting the inspection conditions so that the detecting ratio of defects desired to detect by using the processed results may rise or the erroneous detecting ratio of defects desired to detect may decline, and inspecting successively the circuit patterns formed on the specimen and inspecting the defect of the circuit patterns by using the corrected inspection conditions.