I have a kodak point and shoot.

Most of the pictures I post, had been taken with it.

My setting is for the middle size. There are three options, as far as pixels are concerned. With the highest you get the BEST pictures, with the lowest, you can take the most pictures. I choose middle, since I find it satisfactory for me.

Of course, I am not Karen or Joan or Dave or Wanda, with their excellent pictures, and GREAT cameras.

Moni

I wonder if you have a lemon. I was going to comment that you can expect to sacrifice quality with very compact digital cameras, but I took a look at the A720, and it's not all that small. In fact, I bought the 2006 version of that camera for my DGD, and the quality is just fine.

I just looked up a review of the camera on DPReview (an excellent website for cameras) and this is part of what they said:

.....a very good camera. If used in automatic mode, it takes consistently good photographs so long as you keep away from the highest ISO settings. It also has a perfectly usable manual mode which is a fairly rare commodity on compacts.
Ultimately, while neither groundbreaking nor particularly inspiring, it's difficult not to be impressed with the A720 IS. It's a good little camera with a simple and consistent user interface that allows the user to take good photos for a very reasonable amount of money.

So, now I want to know what you mean when you say the pictures seem bad. Are they blurry? Grainy? Not in focus? What settings are you using? All auto or do you fiddle with the settings? I noticed they said it's good except at high ISO. Perhaps you are using it in full auto mode and often times it will bump up the ISO if there is not enough light (and by not enough light I mean anything other than a bright sunny day). To get around this you might want to force flash (make sure the flash comes on every time you take a photo) or set it to the AV mode and set the ISO at 100. OF course if you set the ISO at 100 and there isn't enough light, the camera will compensate by keeping the shutter open longer, then you will have problems with camera shake and your photos will be blurry. One way to get around this would be to use a tripod but really, who wants to use a tripod all the time?

Let me know what settings you are using and in what conditions and I will try to answer any more questions you may have.

Kodak EasyShare all the way for me - on my second one now, the first one still works but wanted one with a few more features.
Love my camera, I could teach the cat to use it it's so easy.
It was not a big investment, bought it for $60 off ebay used, a year ago, and it's still going strong.
Maybe have a look around at used ones and pick up a cheap one to try that you think you might like before making that investment in a new one with all the bells and whistles you are looking for.
Suzan J

Thanks to everyone- We have an old Kodak Easyshare that still makes good pictures indoors but there is a problem with too much light on the right side of the pictures outdoors. Oklamoni, I looked back at some of your pictures and they are all so sharp- this camera is just not doing that. Karen, this picture is an example. Of course it had to be resized but the original looks pretty much the same. I had DH take a picture, too, to see if his was as fuzzy as mine and it was. I may have changed a setting before making this picture but those made with just the automatic settings are really bad. But shouldn't the picture be sharper than this? I think we will return this camera and try another brand.
{{!gwi}}
Make = Canon
Model = Canon PowerShot A720 IS
Orientation = top/left
X Resolution = 180
Y Resolution = 180
Resolution Unit = inch
Date Time = 2008-04-23 11:31:54
YCbCr Positioning = centered
1001 = 3264
1002 = 2448
Exif IFD Pointer = Offset: 280
A401 = 0
A402 = 0
A403 = 0
A404 = 3264/3264
A406 = 0

[Camera]
Exposure Time = 1/125"
F Number = F4
ISO Speed Ratings = 80
Exif Version = Version 2.2
Date Time Original = 2008-04-23 11:31:54
Date Time Digitized = 2008-04-23 11:31:54
Components Configuration = YCbcr
Compressed Bits Per Pixel = 3
Shutter Speed Value = 6.97 TV
Aperture Value = 4 AV
Exposure Bias Value = ±0EV
Max Aperture Value = F3.51
Metering Mode = Pattern
Flash = Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode
Focal Length = 13.16mm
User Comment =
Flashpix Version = Version 1.0
Color Space = sRGB
Exif Image Width = 640
Exif Image Height = 480
Focal Plane X Resolution = 14506.667
Focal Plane Y Resolution = 14485.207
Focal Plane Resolution Unit = inch
Sensing Method = One-chip color area sensor
File Source = DSC

[Thumbnail Info]
Compression = JPEG Compressed (Thumbnail)
X Resolution = 180
Y Resolution = 180
Resolution Unit = inch
JPEG Interchange Format = Offset: 1064
JPEG Interchange Format Length = Length: 7345

[Thumbnail]
Thumbnail = 160 x 120

Is the soft focus present when you look at the pictures in the camera or could the software you are using making them that way? A picture software program I was using blurred the pictures when I downloaded them to my computer. If I printed them directly from the camera's card they were sharper.

Also Image Stabilization, also called vibration reduction and anti-shake, minimizes or prevents digital images from becoming blurred due to camera shake. You might want to get a camera that has that feature.

I don't know what size camera you are looking for, pocket or larger? Or how many megapixels you want? DH's camera, Nikon Coolpix L10/L11, takes very good pictures and is 5M and is a small pocket size. It is also very reasonably priced.

Clare

We have a Sony Cyber Shot and a Nikon Cool Pix...both have been great cameras...both are 3-5 years old now and are still doin fine.

Keep trying till you find one you like, if you buy it at a reputable store, they shouldn't have any problem exchanging for you...

The lower the ISO rating is the longer the exposure will be, which can cause the blurriness unless the camera has image stabilization.
Also, what resolution are you using. I have the Canon A550 and always shoot my pictures at the highest resolution for a more crisp picture.
Try increasing your shutter speed or a higher ISO and increase the resolution and see if that makes a difference.
I it didn't, I would take it back to where you bought it and ask for a different one and then have them give you some instructions.