Patent ID: 8259212

Claim:
A method comprising: receiving light from a scene at a collector optic, wherein the collector optic is characterized by an image field; providing a first optical field from the collector optic, wherein the first optical field is based on the light from the scene; receiving a first portion of the first optical field at a first optical element, wherein the first portion is characterized by a first localized aberration; providing a second optical field from the first optical element, wherein the second optical field is based on the first portion of the first optical field, and wherein the magnitude of the first localized aberration in the second optical field is less than the magnitude of the first localized aberration in the first portion of the first optical field; receiving a second portion of the first optical field at a second optical element, wherein the second portion is characterized by a second localized aberration; and providing a third optical field from the second optical element, wherein the third optical field is based on the second portion of the first optical field, and wherein the magnitude of the second localized aberration in the third optical field is less than the magnitude of the second localized aberration in the second portion of the first optical field.