That's an aesthetic choice by the designer, I believe. (I really like it!) For what it's worth, you should be able to zoom in with the binoculars to get a better view.
There are places even high up where the fog isn't too thick, but even so, distant objects will always be hazy and indistinct.
(And case you were wondering, you press space to zoom the binoculars. I'd forgotten and was so surprised when I accidentally rediscovered it, I figured I would point that out.)