A compact Bragg spectrometer for monochromatic imaging in the soft x‐ray region was designed and examined. With this spectrometer, a pinhole image is simultaneously recorded with a monochromatic image. This makes it possible to easily identify the wavelength when the location of the soft x‐ray source fluctuates from shot to shot, such as in the plasma focus andZ‐pinch plasma. An rubidium acid phtalate (RAP) flat crystal was examined and monochromatic images of the argonKlines around 4 A˚ were successfully obtained and displayed. The resolution power and dispersion obtained in situ were compared with the calculated values. ©1994 American Institute of Physics.