tenex
reality-based
When you point a binocular at something that's not in focus, how can you tell which way to go without just hunting? You might remember at what distance you were last viewing, or judge by what else nearer or further is sharp. But what if you don't recall, and the whole field is about the same distance?
I've been paying attention to what photographers call "bokeh", the character of the out-of-focus image. OOF backgrounds tend to be smoothly blurred, while OOF foregrounds tend to be messier or less recognizable. So if you have a nice but soft view, it's likely behind the focus plane and you need to adjust toward infinity. If you have an uglier impression, it's probably nearer and you need to refocus closer. As an initial guess this seems to work pretty well. Should I have heard of the technique before somewhere? (Obviously it's more of an issue at higher powers with less depth of field.)
I've been paying attention to what photographers call "bokeh", the character of the out-of-focus image. OOF backgrounds tend to be smoothly blurred, while OOF foregrounds tend to be messier or less recognizable. So if you have a nice but soft view, it's likely behind the focus plane and you need to adjust toward infinity. If you have an uglier impression, it's probably nearer and you need to refocus closer. As an initial guess this seems to work pretty well. Should I have heard of the technique before somewhere? (Obviously it's more of an issue at higher powers with less depth of field.)