Why cant I get sharp, beautiful pictures from my new Nikon P 90?

I recenlty bought a new P 90 and have read thru the instruction manual and tried many of the different options and settings. One of the problems I am having is that in the view finder , the colors would look perfect but when I would actually snap the picture and then return to the picture to look at it, the colors are more yellow tinted and are not natural looking like it is when you look through the view finder. Why would the picture be more yellow? I have tried every single option under the white balance and it never comes out right. I am also having problems with blurry photos. For example- If I have the P90 in the automatic mode -were you are supposed to be able to point and shoot and get crisp clear pics- I get shitty pics with some blurr. I took a picture of my ceiling fan (because it is moving slowly) to see if it would be blurry and sure enough it was. I then put it to the test and took pics of the kids (who rarely stay still) and the pics suck- I get blurred pics. However if I take my Sony Cyber Shot and take pics of the kids running around I get crisp clear pics. I also tested it on the ceiling fan and got a clear crisp photo. Shouldnt the p90 be able to take these types of pics? So now Im frustrated so I decided to try the sport mode. My kids are on the trampoline and I try taking the pics on auto and sports mode and I do not get one clear pic...its like the camera isnt focusing properly even when I hold the button half way to focus - it still is giving me shitty pics. No the lens is not dirty, and the batteries are full ycharged. Im getting ready to return it. Any suggestions or advice on this device would be greatly appreciated.

The white blance may be off. Try resetting the camera. But also remember that the color of a camera is going to differ from the LCD to the computer screen to the printed page. That's because they aren't calibrated to be in sync with one another. I'd also go online right away and see if there's a firmware update (although it may be too new). The firmware is only as new as when the camera was built and packaged and there may be an update coming that addresses any pototential issues that crop up when the camera is just out.

But I'm betting you're simply not compensating for the shutter delay. It's the delay which happens between triggering the shutter and when the photograph is actually recorded. And what's interesting is, that DSLRs dont' have a lag issue at all. Or, it's nearly non existent. It's a common problem with point and shoot cameras. But there are ways to combat it ...
1. Prefocus. Hold down the shutter half way to get a prefocus of the image you're shooting. When it changes, prefocus again. This will speed up your camera's performance during picture taking since it won't have to autofocus before it shoots the shot.

2. Use faster SD cards. Yes, there are faster cards and it does make a difference in writing the image file to the card. This is especially key if you're taking multiple or burst images.

3. Fresher batteries. Use alkalines at least. But I recommend using high energy batteries designed for digital photography. Varta is a good brand. They are usually sold in camera shops, are long lasting (because they are sold in small quantities) put out alot of energy.

4. Pan with the action. You can create some pretty cool shots by panning with your shot, focusing on your subject. This will create the effect of your subject in sharp contrast to the blurry background.

6. Stick with 100-400 ISO. Going higher will cause more noise/grain in your shots, particularly in darker settings.

Doing these, habitually, particularly prefocusing and panning with the action will cut your shutter lag by as much as 80%.

I don't want to sound too critical, ma'am, but I believe the problem may be in your shooting and not the camera's. I have a P90 as well and I'm perfectly capable of taking wonderful pictures with it, motion or not. I have taken countless photos already in the few days I've had it in a multitude of different settings, situations, and lighting conditions and have encountered none of the problems you speak of. The response previous to mine sounds like excellent advice, and I have to concur with Mr. DeRuvo. This Nikon has thus far shown itself to be a fantastic bridge camera in my experience, and I urge you to keep working with it and not judge it prematurely. Please keep practicing and improving your technique so as not to miss out on an excellent piece of equipment. Good luck.

Is it possible its not me and that I got a dud camera? Im 31 years old- I know how to use a camera. Ive read the manual, I have a 4 GiG card, Brand new battery, and as I said in my first question I am prefocusing- it tells you to do that in the manual that came with the camera. I had none of these problems with my Sony Cybershot.

Iwould suggest that you go back to the basic set up menu and reset to original defaults. Ijust pointed my p90 at the ceiling fan on med speed w/ flash and basic setting and it took a great picture w/no fan blade bluring, also caught my dog in mid air with no bluring. BUT when I first got my p90 I skimmed thru the book and changed this and that and things went to hell. blured yellow cast and so I changed a few things more and sure enuf it got worse, But after I reset to all defaults things are great so this time I just try one thing at a time and undo that change before changing something else so far so good . I AM very happy with my p90, very good day light photos in the house with only ambient light from windows. also freat close ups. youglossary will have more info on resetting to defaults

A very good point, Larry. If resetting the camera didn't work, use that warranty to the fullest extent. And if you just bought it, RETURN IT!

The LCD screen on the P90 is terrible. I've found that when I view pictures on my computer they are actually much better (particularly coloring) than how they show on the LCD screen.

Ok, so I took my camera back to Best Buy- I only had 3 more days to return it in the 14 day period they give you. I just happened to go on their website this morning and check the reviews from people who bought this camera and it had a few good reviews and a couple that were having the same exact issues as me! Yellow pics, blurr in every pic- so I knew I had to return it. Unfortunately my daughters 3rd birthday party was yesterday and every single pic came out bad even after resetting it back to original defaults and just using it in the Auto mode which is supposed to adjust things on its own. Because I leave for Vegas in 2 days for vacation I purchased a Sony Cybershot H50 instead of getting another P90 because I am scared of another dud . I will be testing it out as soon as the battery is done charging - I hope this one takes pics as good as my older Cyber shot. Thanks everyone for replies- I appreciate it.

I hope you have better luck with your Sony ma'am. Enjoy your trip.

You don't have to give up completely on those pictures that turned out so awful. There are software programs that can adjust color or you might want to just take them to a good photography shop and have them salvage the pics for you. You have the pictures you want, now they just have to be adjusted to look the way you want them to. Don't give up on them yet.

Larry's right. With Photoshop Elements, you can take pictures that may look bad on their face and adjust them to salvage them. This may mean opting for a sepia look, or black and white or even applying some effects to give them a more animated feel. There are plenty of options out there make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

I just bought my p90 a yesterday and have taken quite a few photos already. I am having the same problems. I am not impressed at all with the quality of any of the pictures. Although a few of them are not too bad when I get them on the computer. I am having a lot of trouble with blurry photos. I just came back from a french speaking competition where I was the photographer for the awards ceremony and very few of the pictures are any good. They are so blurry. I am trying to figure out ways to fix my problems with this camera. I think the main problem is me, I'm not an expert by any means. I am confident that I will start to like this camera when I learn how everything works on it.

Carolyn, I took my p90 back and they told me it was defective. Take it back and replace it while you can. If the camera is set to the default settings and you have it on "auto" you should not be getting blurry pics. I bought a Sony Cyber Shot H-50 and am getting clear, crisp, beautiful pics- I couldnt be happier!

Well frankly, it may also be just learning how to use your camera. Are you prefocusing on your subject or just hitting the button on the fly all at once. Have you read through the manual? I state this simply because no matter what camera you use, if you aren't familiar with it, it's not at all surprising to experience lack luster pictures.

Here's a few things to try ...

Prefocus with your subject right dead in the middle by pressing the shutter half way down. Then, while keeping it down, recompose the image using the rule of thirds. This is there you imagine a tic-tac-toe grid and placing your subject where any two lines intersect. If there's motion, pan with the action. And if you must refocus, then allow yourself to re-prefocus. And when you're ready, press the shutter the rest of the way. This will not only help you to compse your images, but cut any shutter lag by up tp 80%.

Yet another disappointed new owner of a P50 here. My pictures are also hit and miss using just about any setting. They are either grainy even in daylight or blurry. Using the exact same settings of the exact same still subject produces widely variable results none of which are fantastic. I have had several digitals and taken thousands of pictures and know when something is not right. Seems to me based on what a few others have said here this camera is prone to defect. I am glad I found this review page and see others with identical issues. To those of you who have had good 'luck' with the P50 congratulations and thanks for the tips I am sure some folks could get poor results without proper use. I'll be returning this one to Henrys ASAP now but just for another one.

Don't argue, this is a very bad camera. I got the same yellow & blurry pictures.
I have 8 year experience in digital cameras.

Either even don't look at this one in the store or refund immediately !

I to have a P90 camera and have had many issues with bad or blurry pics taken. Since day one interior pictures taken have come out terrible regardless of settings I choose. I recently went on vacation and inside pics near completely useless and some outdoor pics not bad. Should have kept old camera. Any hints on interior picture taken or motion shots wood be welcome.

My two week old P90 is snapping beautiful pics. How do I do it? I pre-focus by halfway pressing the shutter release button down, then I press the button the rest of the way and snap the shot. Perfect pictures every time. I've been taking pictures that way with every digital camera I've ever owned and never had a problem. You've got to give the camera time to focus. That's the key. It's not a film camera where you can just press the shutter release button and shoot away. You have to give the camera a bit of time to catch up. Once you have that mastered, all your shots will turn out fine.

I have only had my P90 for three days, but, have to side with the disappointed with it commenters. I read the manual which is a little hard to digest, since, it keeps referring to another page every few words, but, there is something wrong with what I'm seeing and what the instructions say. I haven't had time to try all the settings, but, today I took a closeup shot of some ferns and when I transferred them into my PC, there were four or tive of the same picture. The pictures are grainy and blurry, even with a tripod. I bought a Nikon, thinking that it would give me sharp, crisp pictures, and I'm not a happy camper. It would be interesting to get a large poll of the happy and unhappy owners, not just a few.

I purchased the Nikon P90 and my pictures look very orange and yellow, they are also blurry. I am diappointed with quality. I have read the manual over and over flipped back and forth through the pages and reset all the setting's to there original state and am having no luck. I am focusing on an object take the picture and the picture ends up being blurry any suggestions! I don't want to return it but somethings not right.

I bought this camera a few months ago. I have read the manual over and over again. I understand that you have to prefocus before you take the shot, I do that and my indoors pictures are still blurry/fuzzy. It's very frustrating! It takes beautiful shots outside and I love the zoom and sports mode. I have bought the high definition memory card but that doesn't help any.
It's extremely frustrating! I still have my Konika-Minolta SLR camera that takes incredible pictures, and this only has 6 megapixels! I really would like to know what I'm doing wrong! Like the "Frustrated Mother", I've been into photography for about 10years now. I am NOT an expert but I do know how to work cameras, and like another writer had mentioned. When you read the manual it does refer you to other pages in the book!
When I go home tonight. I will reset everything back to the default settings and go from there.