A scanning microscope is described, having an illumination unit for emitting an illumination light beam, an objective for generating an elongated illumination focus in a specimen to be imaged, and a scanning apparatus for moving the illumination focus over a target region of the specimen to be illuminated by modifying the direction of incidence in which the illumination light beam is incident into an entrance pupil of the objective. The scanning apparatus directs the illumination light beam onto a sub-region of the entrance pupil offset from the pupil center in order to incline the illumination focus relative to the optical axis of the objective, and modifies the direction of incidence of the illumination light beam within that sub-region in order to move the illumination focus over the target region to be illuminated.