When I take a picture of a group of people, 5 or 6 meters, the picture has bad focus, but if I take a picture like portrait, focus is OK.

Two things can make a photo non sharp. 1) Bad focus and 2) Vibration while shooting. In general when hand holding a shorter lens your exposure should be 1/60 or faster. Your 7600 may have vibration reduction so it helps with point two.

If you use a tripod you control point two. if the photos are still blurry you either have the wrong focus mode set or possibly the lens is damaged or out of alignment. I cannot tell sitting here. Control Vibration and use a Tripod when in doubt.

There is a focusing issue with your lens focusing motor or electronics controlling it. Unless it is a very expensive camera it may not be cost effective for repair.

Are you sure you aren't in the delay setting in drive mode? This camera has 2 delay settings, one for 2 seconds between when you press the shutter and when it takes the photo, and one with 10 seconds delay - often used when you want to be in the photo (e.g. self-portrait or group photo).

If you aren't in the delay mode, then I need to know more about your settings. What shooting mode are you using? What type of photo are you trying to take (portrait, landscape, sports)? Are you shooting indoors, outdoors, bright sunlight, overcast, etc.?

For group photo happiness:

* Use the widest angle available on your zoom lens for group shots. Longer focal lengths make the depth-of-field problem worse. Step closer to the group to fill the frame.

* Use a moderate aperture, somewhere between f/5.6 and f/11. f-stops beyond f/11 can make more things appear to have the same amount of focus, but actual resolution drops due to diffraction.

* Arrange the group so that all the faces are at or near the same plane, and your camera is perpendicular to that plane. So, if P is a person, C is your camera, and - is just space,

PPPPPP


----C----


and not

PPPPPP


C--------


* Using fill-in flash can improve the look of outdoor portraits.

The shooting modes are described as follows: AUTO (Factory default setting) Auto mode is used for regular photography. The camera automatically makes the settings for natural color balance. Other functions, such as the flash mode and metering, can be adjusted manually. Portrait Portrait mode is suitable for taking a portrait-style picture of a person. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. Night scene Night scene mode is suitable for shooting pictures in the evening or at night. The camera sets a slower shutter speed than is used in normal shooting. If you take a picture of a street at night in any other mode, the lack of brightness will result in a dark picture with only dots of light showing. In this mode, the true appearance of the street is captured. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. If you use the flash, you can take pictures of both your subject and the night background. SCENE Scene mode enables you to select one of the following scene shooting modes available in the menu. Landscape + Scene shooting Landscape + Scene shooting is suitable for taking pictures of landscapes and other outdoor scenes. This mode produces clear, sharp pictures with excellent detail, making it ideal for shooting natural scenery. Landscape + Portrait shooting Landscape + Portrait shooting is suitable for taking photos of both your subject and the background. The picture is taken with the background as well as the subject in the foreground in focus. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting settings QuickTime Movie Quicktime Movie mode lets you record movies. The focus and zoom are locked. If the distance to the subject changes, the focus may be compromised. Landscape Landscape mode is suitable for taking pictures of landscapes and other outdoor scenes. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. Self-portrait Self-portrait mode enables you to take a picture of yourself while holding the camera. Point the lens towards yourself, and the focus will be locked on you. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. The zoom is fixed in the wide position and cannot be changed. My Mode Enables you to make settings manually and register them in the mode dial's mode so you can call up your own shooting mode whenever you want. Program shooting (P) Program shooting allows you to shoot using an aperture and shutter speed that the camera sets. You can set the flash, white balance, or other functions manually. Aperture priority shooting (A) Aperture priority shooting allows you to set the aperture manually. The camera sets the shutter speed automatically. By decreasing the aperture value (F-number), the camera will focus within a smaller range, producing a picture with a blurred background. Increasing the value will let the camera focus over a wider range in the forward and backward directions, resulting in a picture in which

Program Auto (Factory default setting) Program Auto mode is used for regular photography. The camera automatically makes the settings for natural color balance. Other functions, such as the flash mode and metering, can be adjusted manually. Portrait Portrait mode is suitable for taking a portrait-style picture of a person. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. Landscape + Portrait Landscape + Portrait mode is suitable for taking photos which include both your subject and the landscape. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. Landscape Landscape mode is suitable for taking pictures of landscapes and other outdoor scenes. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. Night scene Night scene mode is suitable for shooting pictures in the evening or at night. The camera sets a slower shutter speed than is used in normal shooting. If you take a picture of a street at night in any other mode, the lack of brightness will result in a dark picture with only dots of light showing. In this mode, the true appearance of the street is captured. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. If you use the flash, you can take pictures of both your subject and the night background. Indoor Indoor mode enables you to take pictures while indoors by allowing the flash to reach farther away. Beach & Snow Beach & Snow mode enables you to take pictures of scenery containing white sand or snow. Cuisine Cuisine mode enables you to take pictures of food by increasing the saturation, sharpness and contrast settings to take sharp, vivid pictures of the subject. Self-portrait Self-portrait mode enables you to take a picture of yourself while holding the camera. Point the lens towards yourself, and the focus will be locked on you. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. The zoom is fixed in the wide position and cannot be changed. QuickTime Movie QuickTime Movie mode lets you record movies with sound. The focus and zoom are locked. If the distance to the subject changes, the focus may be compromised.

What is the best situation to use each of the shooting modes? The shooting modes are described as follows: Program Auto (Factory default setting) Program Auto mode is used for regular photography. The camera automatically makes the settings for natural color balance. Other functions, such as the flash mode and metering, can be adjusted manually. Portrait Portrait mode is suitable for taking a portrait-style picture of a person. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. Landscape + Portrait Landscape + Portrait mode is suitable for taking photos which include both your subject and the landscape. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. Landscape Landscape mode is suitable for taking pictures of landscapes and other outdoor scenes. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. Night scene Night scene mode is suitable for shooting pictures in the evening or at night. The camera sets a slower shutter speed than is used in normal shooting. If you take a picture of a street at night in any other mode, the lack of brightness will result in a dark picture with only dots of light showing. In this mode, the true appearance of the street is captured. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. If you use the flash, you can take pictures of both your subject and the night background. Self-portrait Self-portrait mode enables you to take a picture of yourself while holding the camera. Point the lens towards yourself, and the focus will be locked on you. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. The zoom is fixed in the wide position and cannot be changed. QuickTime Movie QuickTime Movie mode lets you record movies with sound. The focus and zoom are locked. If the distance to the subject changes, the focus may be compromised.

The Shooting modes are as follows: Program Auto (Factory default setting) Used for regular photography. The camera automatically makes the settings for natural color balance. Other functions, such as the flash mode and metering can be adjusted manually. Portrait Suitable for taking a portrait-style shot of a person. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. Landscape Suitable for taking photos of landscapes and other outdoor scenes. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. Night scene Suitable for shooting pictures in the evening or at night. The camera sets a slower shutter speed than is used in normal shooting. If you take a picture of a street at night in any other mode, the lack of brightness will result in a dark picture with only dots of light showing. In this mode, the true appearance of the street is captured. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. If you use the flash, you can take pictures of both the subject and the background. Self Portrait Enables you to take a picture of yourself while holding the camera. Point the lens towards yourself and the focus will be locked on you. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. The zoom is fixed in the Wide position and cannot be changed. Portrait + Landscape Portrait + Landscape mode is suitable for taking photos which include both your subject and the landscape. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions.

The Shooting modes are as follows: PROGRAM (P)/AUTO Modes Used for general photography. The camera automatically makes the settings for natural color balance. In PROGRAM (P) the brightness (exposure compensation) can be adjusted. In AUTO mode you cannot use exposure compensation or panorama features. Portrait Suitable for taking a portrait-style shot of a person. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. Sports Suitable for capturing fast moving action without blurring. Even a fast moving object will appear to be stationary. Landscape Suitable for taking photos of landscapes and other outdoor scenes. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. Night scene Suitable for shooting pictures in the evening or at night. The camera sets a slower shutter speed than is used in normal shooting. If you take a picture of a street at night in any other mode, the lack of brightness will result in a dark picture with only dots of light showing. In this mode, the true appearance of the street is captured. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. If you use the flash, you can take pictures of both the subject and the background. Nightscene + Portrait Suitable for taking photos of your subject in the evening or at night. This setting employs a slow shutter speed, the camera should be stabilized to avoid camera shake resulting in a blurred picture. Landscape + Portrait Suitable for taking photos of both your subject and the landscape This setting allows for both the foreground subject and background landscape to be in focus. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. Self Portrait Enables you to take a picture of yourself while holding the camera. Point the lens towards yourself and the focus will be locked on you. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. The zoom is locked to wide-angle and cannot be changed. Indoor Optimum settings for taking pictures of family gatherings and groups of friends. This mode reproduces the background clearly capturing the atmosphere. Beach Suitable for taking photos at the beach under a bright blue sky. Colors of the sky, the beach and people are reproduced vividly. Snow Optimun settings for taking pictures where backgrounds are snow fields. Settings are similar to Beach settings and colors of the sky, the greenery and people are reproduced vividly. Fireworks Optimum settings for capturing fireworks in the night sky. Since this setting employs a slow shutter speed , the camera should be stabilized to avoid camera shake resulting in a blurred picture. Sunset Optimum settings for capturing pictures of the setting sun. This mode reproduces reds and yellows vibrantly. Again, this setting employs a slow shutter speed, the camera should be stabilized to avoid camera shake resulting in a blurred picture.

The shooting modes are described as follows: PROGRAM AUTO (Factory default setting) Program Auto mode is used for regular photography. The camera automatically makes the settings for natural color balance. Other functions, such as the flash mode and metering, can be adjusted manually. Portrait Portrait mode is suitable for taking a portrait-style picture of a person. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. Landscape Landscape mode is suitable for taking pictures of landscapes and other outdoor scenes. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. Night scene Night scene mode is suitable for shooting pictures in the evening or at night. The camera sets a slower shutter speed than is used in normal shooting. If you take a picture of a street at night in any other mode, the lack of brightness will result in a dark picture with only dots of light showing. In this mode, the true appearance of the street is captured. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. If you use the flash, you can take pictures of both your subject and the night background. Self-portrait Self-portrait mode enables you to take a picture of yourself while holding the camera. Point the lens towards yourself, and the focus will be locked on you. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. The zoom is fixed in the wide position and cannot be changed. QuickTime Movie QuickTime Movie mode lets you record movies. The focus and zoom are locked. If the distance to the subject changes, the focus may be compromised.