Abstract <p>Problems in experimental study of real crystal structures using phase-contrast imaging with synchrotron radiation (SR) are discussed, and methods for their solution are proposed. The experiment was performed at the Pohang Light Source in Pohang City, Republic of Korea. Diamond crystals were examined. The capabilities of the method in studying weak changes in the crystal density under conditions of spatially inhomogeneous beam intensity, beam statistical noise, and detector imperfections were analyzed. Images of various shapes and sizes were obtained, which indicated the presence of defects. However, a more detailed analysis is required to identify these defects.</p>