A defect inspection method comprising the steps of: shooting the surface of an inspection object to obtain a shot image comprising pixels; scanning the shot image in predetermined directions using a dedicated scanning filter for each direction, and assigning a high evaluation value to an attention pixel of the shot image at the center of said scanning filter for each scanning direction when the luminance of the attention pixel is higher than the luminances of first adjacent pixels (K, O) located on both sides of the attention pixel in the scanning direction and at a two-pixel distance from the attention pixel and, in addition, the luminance of each of second adjacent pixels (C, W), located on both sides of the attention pixel in a direction perpendicular to the scanning direction and at a two-pixel distance from the attention pixel, is higher than the luminances of third adjacent pixels (A, E, U, Y) located on both sides of the second adjacent pixels (C, W) in the scanning direction and at a two-pixel distance from the second adjacent pixels, respectively; selecting (S3, S4) selection pixels based on the evaluation values of the pixels for each scanning direction; connecting the selection pixels for each scanning direction; and synthesizing the selection pixels of the predetermined scanning directions, and characterised by: removing those pixels which do not meet the requirement for a predetermined shape from the selection pixels; wherein the evaluation value of the attention pixel is determined only by twice the sum of the luminances of the attention pixel and the second adjacent pixels (C, W) minus the sum of the luminances of the first adjacent pixels (K, O) and the third adjacent pixels (A, E, U, Y). shooting the surface of an inspection object to obtain a shot image comprising pixels; scanning the shot image in predetermined directions using a dedicated scanning filter for each direction, and assigning a high evaluation value to an attention pixel of the shot image at the center of said scanning filter for each scanning direction when the luminance of the attention pixel is higher than the luminances of first adjacent pixels (K, O) located on both sides of the attention pixel in the scanning direction and at a two-pixel distance from the attention pixel and, in addition, the luminance of each of second adjacent pixels (C, W), located on both sides of the attention pixel in a direction perpendicular to the scanning direction and at a two-pixel distance from the attention pixel, is higher than the luminances of third adjacent pixels (A, E, U, Y) located on both sides of the second adjacent pixels (C, W) in the scanning direction and at a two-pixel distance from the second adjacent pixels, respectively; selecting (S3, S4) selection pixels based on the evaluation values of the pixels for each scanning direction; connecting the selection pixels for each scanning direction; and synthesizing the selection pixels of the predetermined scanning directions, and characterised by: removing those pixels which do not meet the requirement for a predetermined shape from the selection pixels; wherein the evaluation value of the attention pixel is determined only by twice the sum of the luminances of the attention pixel and the second adjacent pixels (C, W) minus the sum of the luminances of the first adjacent pixels (K, O) and the third adjacent pixels (A, E, U, Y). removing those pixels which do not meet the requirement for a predetermined shape from the selection pixels; wherein the evaluation value of the attention pixel is determined only by twice the sum of the luminances of the attention pixel and the second adjacent pixels (C, W) minus the sum of the luminances of the first adjacent pixels (K, O) and the third adjacent pixels (A, E, U, Y).