A method of inspecting containers (3) moving between a linear camera and a light source (7) presents continuous variation of light intensity with a periodic pattern (71) along at least one variation direction (D). According to the method, for each movement increment of the container, a sequence of N successive image lines of the container is acquired cyclically so that for each image line; the container (3) is illuminated by the light source (7); the image line of the container is acquired; and the periodic pattern (71) is shifted for the next line along the variation direction (D). For each increment of the container (3), at least one phase image line is calculated; and the phase image lines (LP(k)) are analyzed.