A compact and versatile multi-spot inspection imaging system employs an objective for focusing an array of radiation beams to a surface and a second reflective or refractive objective having a large numerical aperture for collecting scattered radiation from the array of illuminated spots. The scattered radiation from each illuminated spot is focused to a corresponding receiver or detector so that information about a scattering may be conveyed to a corresponding detector in a remote detector array for processing. Radiation reflected from the spots is imaged into a first array of receivers or detectors so that each receiver in the first array receives radiation from a corresponding spot in the array of spots; and scattered radiation from the spots is imaged onto a second array of receivers or detectors in a dark field imaging scheme so that each receiver or detector in the second array receives radiation from a corresponding spot.