Abstract: The invention relates to imaging methods for assessing quality or quantity parameters of particles in a sample, wherein the particles contain less than 106 analyte detectable positions. The method comprises 1) mixing the sample with a targeting species capable of binding an analyte position and a labelling agent, 2) arranging the sample in an exposing domain, allowing electromagnetic signals from the sample to pass to the exterior, 3) exposing a representation of said signals onto an array of detection elements, wherein the representation is subject to a linear enlargement, so that the ratio of the image of a linear dimension on the array of detection elements to the original linear dimension in the exposing domain is smaller than 20:1, 4) detecting the representation as intensities by said detection elements, 5) processing the intensities to identify the particles, and 6) obtaining the quality or quantity parameter.