An inspection assembly and a method of illuminating an inspection area suitable for use in internal spaces such as pipelines. The inspection assembly comprises a main body (Fig.1, 12) having a longitudinal axis and a distal end (Fig.1, 14), an ultra-wide angle lens 42 at the distal end having an angle of view greater than 180 degrees, a light source 58 positioned rearward of the lens, and a metal collar 66 including a reflection surface (Fig.7, 82) located along the longitudinal axis between the light source and lens. The reflection surface, which may be annular and unpolished, is at an angle between 10 and 70 degrees from the longitudinal axis of the body and positioned such that a fraction of the light emitted by the light source is reflected to illuminate a periphery of the lens field of view and a fraction illuminates the field of view beyond the distal end without reflection. The lens, which may be covered by an optically transparent cap 44, may be a fish-eye lens, and an image sensor may capture an image through it. The light source may include a plurality of sources located radially outward of the lens.
