Focus Problem - Nikon D70

[Paul in OKC]

Having problems with focusing with my D70. At my age (63) I need to use the auto-focus. I took a group photo of several people, one behind the other in a tight group. The focus on the first person's face was off just a hair, but the focus on the last person was blurred noticeably. Do I have my focus options set wrong? Did I need to focus on the "middle person" instead of the "front person"? Should I have used a tripod? Is camera shake a big part of my problem? I was expecting the focus to be "razor-sharp", but it is not working out that way. Comments? Suggestions?

[another view]

You mean they were lined up away from you (the camera)? If you can post the shot that might help, but if this is the case it's probably not a focus problem. However, this doesn't explain why the first person isn't quite in focus. What shutter speed did you use, could camera shake, or the person moving a little be a possibility?

I think it's a depth of field problem, trying to get everyone in focus over that distance. Use a smaller aperture (higher "f" number) for more depth of field. This will result in a slower shutter speed, so you might need a tripod. But since your subject is people, they might move enough that they will blur a little. Since it's a DSLR, try boosting the ISO up so you can use a smaller aperture and still keep your shutter speed at least at 1/30. A tripod will help here, but any slower shutter speed and you'll have the other blur problem. Hope I've got this right from your description.

[Chunk]

Having problems with focusing with my D70. At my age (63) I need to use the auto-focus. I took a group photo of several people, one behind the other in a tight group. The focus on the first person's face was off just a hair, but the focus on the last person was blurred noticeably. Do I have my focus options set wrong? Did I need to focus on the "middle person" instead of the "front person"? Should I have used a tripod? Is camera shake a big part of my problem? I was expecting the focus to be "razor-sharp", but it is not working out that way. Comments? Suggestions?

The zone of acceptable focus is about 1/3 in front of and 2/3 behind the the point of sharpest focus.
Also in general, except for in special copy lenses, the plane of focus is not actually a plane but a section of a sphere - sorta like a rectangle cut out of a basketball.