Microscopic transmitted light contrasting method, in which a sample is at least partially illuminated by an asymmetric first illumination pupil, the sample is at least partially imaged by an asymmetric first detection pupil, to generate a first partial image, wherein the first illumination pupil and the first detection pupil are rotated relative to each other in projection onto a plane, perpendicular to an optical axis, and are arranged to partially overlap each other, in such a way that at least a first region of the angular space lies in a bright field and a second region of the angular space, different from the first region, lies in a dark field and the first partial image has a first bright field portion and a first dark field portion, the sample is at least partially illuminated by an asymmetric second illumination pupil, the sample is at least partially imaged by an asymmetric second detection pupil to produce a second partial image, wherein the second illumination pupil and the second detection pupil are rotated relative to each other in projection onto the plane perpendicular to the optical axis and are arranged to partially overlap each other, such that at least a third region of the angular space lies in a bright field and a fourth region of the angular space, different from the third region, lies in a dark field and the second partial image has a second bright field portion and a second dark field portion, and an image of the sample is generated from the first partial image and the second partial image by reconstructing a complex transmission function of the sample from the first partial image and the second partial image. a sample is at least partially illuminated by an asymmetric first illumination pupil, the sample is at least partially imaged by an asymmetric first detection pupil, to generate a first partial image, wherein the first illumination pupil and the first detection pupil are rotated relative to each other in projection onto a plane, perpendicular to an optical axis, and are arranged to partially overlap each other, in such a way that at least a first region of the angular space lies in a bright field and a second region of the angular space, different from the first region, lies in a dark field and the first partial image has a first bright field portion and a first dark field portion, the sample is at least partially illuminated by an asymmetric second illumination pupil, the sample is at least partially imaged by an asymmetric second detection pupil to produce a second partial image, wherein the second illumination pupil and the second detection pupil are rotated relative to each other in projection onto the plane perpendicular to the optical axis and are arranged to partially overlap each other, such that at least a third region of the angular space lies in a bright field and a fourth region of the angular space, different from the third region, lies in a dark field and the second partial image has a second bright field portion and a second dark field portion, and an image of the sample is generated from the first partial image and the second partial image by reconstructing a complex transmission function of the sample from the first partial image and the second partial image.