A new method for studying the structure of thin films during the earliest stages of growth has been developed. Direct measurements of energy filtered, small‐angle electron diffraction intensities enables structural information of early stages in the growth of a vapor deposited thin film to be derived with greater accuracy than is possible by conventional electron microscopy. A quantitative theory is developed and curve fitting on the experimentally measured intensities enables the values of island size and the density of islands on the substrate to be obtained. The method is applied to observations of silver evaporated onto carbon and the results correlated with those of electron microscopy.