A multispectral imaging system and method in which the zero-mode channel is used to provide imaging of any of a variety of optical properties. In one example an imaging method includes spectrally dispersing received electromagnetic radiation into its spectral components with a dispersive element to produce spectrally dispersed electromagnetic radiation, transmitting the electromagnetic radiation through the dispersive element to produce non-dispersed electromagnetic radiation corresponding to a zero order diffraction mode of the dispersive element, imaging the non-dispersed electromagnetic radiation to produce a zero-mode image, and simultaneously imaging the spectrally dispersed electromagnetic radiation to produce a spectral image.