The resolving power of the electron microscope and the contrast in the image are calculated for different conditions of focusing, illumination and aperture. These conditions can change the limit of resolution by a factor of about 3. The contrast in the image of an atom is appreciably increased by defocusing and spherical aberration. Nevertheless, the contrast improves when the numerical value of the aberration constant is diminished. The effect of different methods of spherical correction is discussed briefly.