I use camera batteries but sometimes I am not sure they are charged fully ,could that be it, I am holding the camera steady, what else could it be, ??thank you Batteries would not be the fault. Consider:
1. Faulty auto-focus
2. Smudge on the lens
3. Moving too soon after you push the shutter button
Consider them as most likely from the bottom to the top of the list.
I'm sorry if this is insulting, but often the cause is moving your hand too soon. You may be used to taking pictures with a non-digital camera. There is considerable shutter lag with point and shoot digitals and you have to be sure to hold still for long enough for the camera to actually take the picture. This will take up to a full second. Watch the little green light (usually) on the back of your camera. Hold the button half-way down and wait until it lights up steady instead of blinking. This means the auto-focus operation is complete. Press the button the rest of the way down and hold it there for about a second to allow time for the shutter to actually take the picture. Good luck! It is more likely that your lens is dirty. You also might check to see if you have an "image stablization" mode.
Another common issue is that once you take the picture, hold the camera steady. Sometimes the "beep" happens early, and when you think the picture is already taken, it hasn't.
Try holding it for an extra second after the beep and see if your pictures don't come out any better. Usually when I screw it up, it's because I didn't hold the camera steady (particularly true when taking pictures in the dark, and uses a longer exposure).
Sometimes, it just does, and it corrects it's self when I shut the camera off, and turn it back on again... I dunno.... maybe I had my finger too close to the lens when it opened.
Sometimes it could because the lens needs cleaning.
Or (presuming it has auto-focus), you snapped the picture quickly, but didn't give the camera chance to lock onto the subject and adjust the focus properly.
Or my camera also takes crap pictures if I use maximum zoom.. used all the optical zoom, and been tweaked further with the digital zoom (and from what i've read, Digital zoom is supposed to be not all that good) Not your batteries. The camera would simply stop working. It is one of two things.
1. Either you have moved the camera too soon
2. The shutter speed is too slow because the light is too sufficient. The lens opens to its widest but if that is not enough, the shutter speed has compensate by slowing down. This would most likely happen indoors or very cloudy/deep shade outdoors.
Oops, thought of another reason. If part of the picture is in focus and another part sharp, the camera is focusing on the wrong part and you need to take steps to correct that in the future. Many cameras allow you to depress the shutter while focused at a spot and then, without releasing your finger, move the camera to the frame the shot, then release the button. This allows you to have a subject off center but still in focus.
Norm Sounds like possibly the auto focus isn't working.
Either because it is faulty or because its settings are wrong in the camera menu. Set if for single auto focus in spot mode - not area. can't be the batteries ...
try using a tripod.
what type of camera is ? The lens is dirty with finget prints or it may have been scratch!
Clean it with the proper cleaning tools.. you can pick a cleaning kit up at any camera supply store for less than 20.00 | 