Amplitude‐division electron holography achieved in a nonbiprism transmission electron microscope is presented. A single‐crystal thin film is used to divide the amplitude of the incident electron beam. The lattice fringes of the crystal film are used to form off‐axis holograms. The relation between the spatial coherence of the illuminating beam and the resolution of the reconstructed image is derived and compared with that of the conventional wave‐front‐division holography achieved with a biprism. It is shown that using a low‐coherence illuminating beam will reduce the resolution of the reconstructed images in the amplitude‐division holography, whereas it will reduce sensitivity in conventional wave‐front‐division holography. Experimental results obtained using a gold crystal thin film as the beam splitter show that the amplitude‐division electron holography permits any coherent or incoherent illumination when high resolution is not strongly required. Advantages over the wave‐front‐division electron holography achieved with a biprism system have been pointed out. ©1995 American Institute of Physics.