Images with high resolution and exceptionally broad gray scale can be obtained by the application of video contract enhancement to an optimized procedure for imaging transparent objects with oblique rays of illumination. This technique is simple to set up. A conventional microscope with a light source whose position can be adjusted and a video camera with controls for grain and black level are the only essential components. Features such as high resolution, optical sectioning, control of contrast, and operation under low light intensity make this technique preferable, in several instances, to currently used video microscopy techniques.