Nikon Coolpix 8.0 megapixels is pretty crappy

[laserfox]

Is it just me, the pictures all come out dark, blurry, or plain ugly regardless of lighting. Once in a blue moon I get a decent shot. Is there some setting I am missing, I've tried all the modes.

 

[leighonigar]

What's your camera's model number?

 

[compuwar]

Is it just me, the pictures all come out dark, blurry, or plain ugly regardless of lighting. Once in a blue moon I get a decent shot. Is there some setting I am missing, I've tried all the modes.

If your pictures are dark, try dialing in some positive exposure compensation, most cameras have that feature (I don't own a Coolpix, consult your manual.)
Blurry is due to too slow a shutter speed and either subject movement or camera movement. Generally that's from trying to take pictures in low light, adding light (flash) helps that, but you'll want to dial in some negative flash compensation to avoid "deer in the headlights" looking pictures.l

8MP is way too dense for a small point and shoot sensor IMO. Really you should have looked for something in the 4-6MP range at best, as they'll have better low-light performance. I don't know if the P&S market is still waging a megapixel war, but if so it's not a good thing.

Does it have a manual mode? Will it give you a histogram? Understanding exposure will give you a chance to figure out what's going wrong- but if you can't get good pictures outside in daylight, then it's likely operator error or the wrong tool for the kinds of pictures you want rather than the specific camera in your hands.

 

[flinch13]

If it's under warranty, take it back and get your refund. Spend it on a decent entry dslr, you'll never look back.

 

[laserfox]

If it's under warranty, take it back and get your refund. Spend it on a decent entry dslr, you'll never look back.

I got it for Christmas last year, and when I went on vacation to Trinidad in the summer, the screen just went white. Couldn't take pictures at all. So i sent it into Nikon, and they replaced the lcd. I just got it back, so I am hoping to really learn a thing or two about the best set up for various shots.

The Model number is Coolpix L15

 

[ChrisA]

Is it just me, the pictures all come out dark, blurry, or plain ugly regardless of lighting. Once in a blue moon I get a decent shot. Is there some setting I am missing, I've tried all the modes.

Sound to me like you are shooting in low light. Does it do this also in bright overcast outdoor light?

Also how do the images work in post processing? Can you adjust them?