1. Imaging apparatus of the type comprising: a sample holder ( 2 ) that can be adjusted at least in the X and Y directions; an illumination device comprising a light source ( 10 ) capable of generating an illumination beam ( 12 ), first transfer means ( 14, 16 ) capable of directing the said illumination beam ( 12 ) onto a sample ( 4 ) arranged on the sample holder ( 2 ); a receiving device comprising second transfer means ( 16, 14 ) capable of directing the radiation ( 22 ) emitted and/or transmitted by the sample thus illuminated to detection means ( 28 ) mounted at the output of the receiving device, the first and/or second transfer means comprising adjustable filtering means ( 18, 20 ); processing means ( 26 ) for processing the signals thus detected by the detection means in order to acquire a corresponding image of at least one zone of the sample; an electronic control unit ( 24, 8 ) capable of controlling at least the adjustment of the sample holder and/or the parameters of the filtering means ( 18, 20 ) and/or the parameters of the processing means ( 26 ) according to a plurality of modes of image acquisition, an image database ( 30 ) linked to the processing means and capable of containing the images thus acquired, characterised in that the image database ( 30 ) comprises a plurality of tables (TAB), each comprising fields relating at least to the conditions of acquisition of the images and/or to the identification of the sample, the tables being linked to each other according to selected relationships; in that each image acquisition comprises a command for the displacement of the sample holder and/or parameters of the filtering means and/or parameters of the processing means and capture of the values of each acquisition parameter in the corresponding fields of the tables of the database; and in that the imaging apparatus furthermore comprising &lsqb;sic&rsqb; a look-up unit for interrogating the image database in accordance with at least one query containing at least one criterion corresponding to at least one acquisition parameter so as to select the images that meet the said criterion and display and/or process the said images thus selected.