I know this is a bit late, but I just saw your post.
I can\'t speak to the focus issue directly, but I have a guess that when you\'re in macro mode, the depth of field is so narrow that the cam might be \"hunting\" for the optimal focus point, and finding that anywhere it focuses has lots of out of focus areas.
I do know that macrophotographers, when they\'re shooting serious macro shots, set focus and then move the camera back and forth slightly to compose. This is difficult with a tripod if you don\'t have a macro focusing rail, so you might have to play with it quite a bit.
