Improving Photo Quality?

[calcifer65]

When I first got my camera, a Kodak EasyShare z1285, the picture quality was amazing, and I was really pleased with the camera. However, after using it A LOT, the pictures started to get grainy, blurry, or just generally bad quality.

Does this have something to do with the age of the camera? It's only a couple of years old, but I don't know if the lens needs to be cleaned on a regular basis or something. Could it be some other problem instead?

 

[photo_joe]

You could try cleaning the lens or make sure that your settings haven't changed. Maybe try and reset the setting to default and see if that helps.

 

[xjoewhitex]

As far as I am aware a cameras photo quallity shouldn't deminish over time, but your eye for photography can. It is very possible what you once thought was a great quallity photo, isn't exactly anymore. But knowing how you operate your camera along with the down points every camera has. Such as the photos you used to take were in sunlight, which most point and shoot cameras can handle very well, and the current photos have been taken in low light situations indoors where the shutter speed dropped dramatically and the iso raised as well. Causing blur and grain. We will help you all we can but without examples theres nothing more than basic advice.

 

[Sw1tchFX]

The camera shoots just as good of pictures 2 years ago as it does today. Something is up with the settings or lighting conditions.

 

[DigitalDave]

Maybe the lens has taken some kind of knock putting it a bit out of alignment, that could account for the blur, or the auto-focus has some issues. That wouldn't really account for the grainyness though.

It's either your own eye, or you're taking shots of different subjects than before, as others have mentioned, or perhaps a software issue. I'd clean the lens and reset the setting first before doing anything major with it like taking it to be looked at.