A method for analyzing the imaging behavior of a first optical imaging element, in which an object is imaged by a second optical imaging element and light in the image plane is detected in a spatially resolved manner. The two optical imaging elements differ in at least one imaging characteristic. Values are determined for intensity and at least one second characteristic and then stored in image points, and processed in an emulation step. An emulation image is produced, taking into account the influence of the second characteristic. A series of images is produced by dividing a range of values of the second characteristic into subdomains, associating an image with each subdomain, and associating the corresponding intensity value with the image points of each image, in case the value of the second characteristic, associated with the image point, falls in the subdomain associated with the respective image.