I have a Mitsuba Dv 9000; when i zoom in the picture is all distorted according to the book the focus is fixed

Answer 1

you need to use the auto focus feature or if you choose manual focus, then zoom in and pre-focus the shot before starting the recording. The picture was actually out of focus before you started the zoom, but because it was wide, it was not noticable. Focus is a critical adjustment when zoomed into the telephoto range.