At the new synchrotron light source ANKA (Angström Karlsruhe, Germany) one beamline is optimised for white beam synchrotron topography. First topographs taken at various geometries and materials demonstrate the easy operation and the high resolution. Details about the experimental set-up are given. Large area and section topography in transmission allow a quantitative analysis of the type of dislocations and the dislocation density up to 10 6 cm −2 which is shown for GaSb:Te and InP:S, respectively. For highly absorbing materials like CdTe the back reflection geometry is adequate to analyse dislocation networks, twins and small angle grain boundaries. The grazing incidence method is used for the characterisation of strain and defects as a function of depth by varying the tilt of the sample which is helpful for processed devices like CdTe strip detectors for X-rays.