Do you normally wear glass? If so, could it be that the dioptric on the camera is set incorrectly? If you look through the viewfinder, on the right, there's a little + and - sign with a small rotating button, try turning that while looking through the viewfinder and see if it gets less blurry one way or the other. For me, it needs to be turned all the way to the " - " side. I'm even thinking I might need to replace the dioptric because I'm so blind :P You can order them at the Canon site under Accessories, though probably somewhere online has them cheaper :) I hope this info helps :) -A P.S. Now, if I could just figure out how to set the 9 dot thing properly when working with depth of field, I might get some photos that don't need to be "Sharpened" in PhotoShop! Here is a link that might be useful: Dioptric

There are several good telephoto lenses (the kind you want to buy) available for your cameras. Since your current lens can cover distances to 80mm, you should look for one with a focal length of at least that. Bigger numbers indicate the ability to handle longer distances. A 160mm lens will focus to twice the distance your current lens will. A 240mm lens will focus to three times the distance. However, as this focal length increases, three things will happen to the lens: it will get more expensive; generally larger and heavier; and less able to handle lower levels of light. Expensive is expensive; there is not much you can do with that besides buy a used lens or a third-party lens (in your case, a lens by anyone other than Canon). The inability to handle lower levels of light can be compensated for several ways. You could keep the camera lens open longer to admit more light -- but that can cause blurring if you're shooting a moving subject or holding the camera without a tripod. You could use flash, though the flash that comes on the camera likely won't have enough power to light something far away, so you might have to buy a flash unit. You could spend more money :-) and get a telephoto lens that has a wider maximum aperture. These are sometimes dramatically bigger and heavier than less-capable lenses. Or you could buy an "IS" (Image Stabilization) lens; the lens largely eliminating blur caused by handholding. Neat feature; not cheap. If you choose to buy a used lens, it's best to buy one in person at a place that sells used photographic equipment and will give you at least a little warranty. Bring your digital so you can see some results right away. Since Canon is a popular brand, if you live near an urban area you shouldn't have trouble finding a good lens. If you buy a third-party lens, stick with better-known brands (Tamron and Tokina come to mind, but try to avoid their very cheapest lenses). A good third-party lens will have a metal lens mount and operate smoothly and quietly. You also will have to make sure it works with your particular Canon camera model. Sometimes third-party lenses don't work well with a given manufacturer's camera, so you may lose some automatic features or exposure information. That's a lot to digest at once, I'm sure. There also are several Web sites which discuss lenses for Canons -- but be warned that there is just a firehose of information out there because Canon is such a popular brand.

Yes, it is called a prime lens, it will not zoom at all. Most people prefer the Canon EFS 17-85mm f4/f5.6 IS USM. I think it comes as a package at some retailers with the body. Some don't like it. I do but don't have it. Depending on your budget, I would suggest the 28-135 (I've used it with success but it is not L which is better glass and more reasonable in price), the 24-105 or the 24-70 (expensive). If you are going to get a prime lens, I would suggest the 50mm 1.8, it is cheap and sharp, but does not zoom, great for kid pics and in low light situations, there are a couple other 50mm primes now, more expensive. The kit lens isn't all that bad for what it is, if I had to do it over again, I would get body only and maybe the 24-105 which is expensive because it has a good zoom range, good for a general purpose, walkabout lens, and should have good resale value. I do lean toward the Canon lenses, but some of the Sigmas and Tamrons are pretty good.

I have this camera. Like you, love the pics, but mine does the same thing when shooting video. I updated the firmware, it doesn't fix anything. I decided since I want a Canon and I want a purse cam with x20 zoom, I am keeping it. I don't shoot much video, anyhow. It is hard to get used to no viewfinder, though.