Aspects of the functioning of optical-electronic systems (OES) in the observation of remote, inconspicuous objects are considered. A technique has been developed for determining the effectiveness of the OES with an assessment of the results of observation of remote objects. A feature of the technique is the ability to identify and take into account the most significant factors that affect the result of the functioning of the OES: the characteristics of the brightness structure of the observed objects, the state of the radiation propagation path to the observation point, the circuitry of the optical system, and the parameters of the modes of the photodetector with a given topology. It is shown that the technique makes it possible to implement the optimal choice of algorithms for determining the coordinates and geometric features of inconspicuous objects. The practical application of the methodology makes it possible to more reliably assess the accuracy of coordinate information about remote objects, as well as to determine the degree of influence of various external and internal factors on the performance indicators of the OES, on the one hand, on the other hand, to form the main parameters of the system for given conditions of observation and solving target problems.