We have developed a polyvalent reflection-mode apertureless scanning near-field optical microscope (SNOM) from a commercial scanning probe microscope (SPM). After having explained our motivations, we describe the instrument precisely, by specifying how we have integrated optical elements to the initial SPM, by taking advantage of its characteristics, and without modifying its initial functions. The instrument allows five different reflection-mode SNOM configurations and enables polarization studies. Three types of SNOM probes can be used: dielectric, semiconducting, and metallic probes. The latter are homemade probes whose successful use, as probes for atomic force microscopy, by the commercial SPM has been experimentally demonstrated. Using silicon–nitride (dielectric) probes, one of the five configurations has been experimentally tested with two samples. The first sample is made of nanometric aluminum dots on a glass substrate and the second sample is the output front facet of a laser diode. The preliminary SNOM images of the latter reveal pure optical contrasts. ©1998 American Institute of Physics.