A digital microscopy method, comprising: obtaining, in a memory comprised in or operatively coupled to a digital microscope, data representative of at least one image of at least a portion of a cell sample, the at least one image acquired by the digital microscope, wherein the portion encompasses; a mapping field (350,355), the mapping field comprising a plurality of focus analysis regions, and a diagnostic field (301,302), wherein the mapping field (350,355) at least partially overlaps with the diagnostic field (301,302); calculating, by processing resources operatively connected to the digital microscope, using the obtained data, a focus configuration for each of at least two focus analysis regions, giving rise to data indicative of focus variation within the mapping field; capturing at least one image of the diagnostic field (301, 302), characterized by: using the data that are indicative of focus variation within the mapping field (350,355) for determining whether the focus variation within the mapping field (350,355) is below a threshold and using this as an input for determining whether to (a) capture a single image of the diagnostic field in response to the focus variation within the mapping field (350,355) being below the threshold, or (b) to capture a plurality of images of the diagnostic field (301,302), each of the plurality of images being acquired at a respective, different focus configuration, in response to the focus variation within the mapping field (350,355) being above the threshold; and detecting a pathogen candidate within the sample by analyzing the at least one captured image of the diagnostic field (301, 302). obtaining, in a memory comprised in or operatively coupled to a digital microscope, data representative of at least one image of at least a portion of a cell sample, the at least one image acquired by the digital microscope, wherein the portion encompasses; a mapping field (350,355), the mapping field comprising a plurality of focus analysis regions, and a diagnostic field (301,302), wherein the mapping field (350,355) at least partially overlaps with the diagnostic field (301,302); calculating, by processing resources operatively connected to the digital microscope, using the obtained data, a focus configuration for each of at least two focus analysis regions, giving rise to data indicative of focus variation within the mapping field; capturing at least one image of the diagnostic field (301, 302), characterized by: using the data that are indicative of focus variation within the mapping field (350,355) for determining whether the focus variation within the mapping field (350,355) is below a threshold and using this as an input for determining whether to (a) capture a single image of the diagnostic field in response to the focus variation within the mapping field (350,355) being below the threshold, or (b) to capture a plurality of images of the diagnostic field (301,302), each of the plurality of images being acquired at a respective, different focus configuration, in response to the focus variation within the mapping field (350,355) being above the threshold; and detecting a pathogen candidate within the sample by analyzing the at least one captured image of the diagnostic field (301, 302). using the data that are indicative of focus variation within the mapping field (350,355) for determining whether the focus variation within the mapping field (350,355) is below a threshold and using this as an input for determining whether to (a) capture a single image of the diagnostic field in response to the focus variation within the mapping field (350,355) being below the threshold, or (b) to capture a plurality of images of the diagnostic field (301,302), each of the plurality of images being acquired at a respective, different focus configuration, in response to the focus variation within the mapping field (350,355) being above the threshold; and detecting a pathogen candidate within the sample by analyzing the at least one captured image of the diagnostic field (301, 302).