FZ7- long zoom focus problem?

[tuj28]

I've been having difficulty with autofocus once I pass about 6X optical zoom. For example, zooming in on a bird on rocks, I get lots of blur. I've tried going to 9 spot focus but still get blur; seems like autofocus is having trouble locking in. Am I doing something wrong? Do I really have to use a tripod once I pass a certain zoom level?

[genece]

IMHO......You do not need a tripod in good light with a FZ camera.....
Notice I did say good light.....you need to keep the shutterspeed sort of high .
Some folks here can handhold 1/30 second, but not many of us. I need at least 1/125th of a second

Also I believe the 3 and/or 9 pt autofocus is the worst thing to try.

Put the camera in P mode
turn off Continuoous auto focus
Use IS mode 2
use 1 area or spot focus
Auto ISO
and understand you can be too close to a subject to focus past 3X zoom. 7 ft is about the minimum distance.
Give those setting a try and see if it helps

[David Metsky]

Are you getting blur due to bad focus or due to shutter speeds being too long? Can you post an image with EXIF data?

-dave-

[tuj28]

Thanks Gene and Dave. I will try the recommendations. I also will see if I can post a shot with exposure data on it.

[benp]

Gene's advice is all excellent. I found that using the spot autofocus (menu, AF mode, the one at the bottom) solved my problem of blurry birds and beautifully focused twigs and leaves.

The depth of field at full telephoto is very small, so it's likely to be impossible for the camera to focus on everything in the larger AF frame at once.

Another trick is to re-focus the camera on something at a different distance in between shots.

[genece]

I think if you try that 1 area high speed focus you will find it works pretty well also.......
Do not forget to turn off the C-AF as it can keep trying to focus and can choose a rock instead of the bird. It is not the smartest C-AF I have ever seen.