Main configurations of multispectral microscopes making use of either changeable or continuosly tunable optical filters for spectral or spatial scanning of the objects under study including Fourier spectroscopy of their interferograms are considered. Integration of the methodologies of visualization and optical spectroscopy results in a concept of spectral image in the form of 3D data array («cube of information»). Surge of interest in this method ofanalysis is attributed to growing application potential ofthe multispectral microscopy in medicine, biotechnologies, materials science, chemistry, mineralogy, forensic science and many other scientific and technological lines. Electronically controlled variable-wavelength acoustooptic filters provide an efficient instrumentation for both spectral and polarization analysis of optical images in real-time operation mode.