noob in search of C&C

[Brexxin]

Hello all, i'm looking forward to reading all of the tutorials and forum posts i can handle to improve my photography. I am more or less in point and shoot mode, changing minimal settings until i learn the inner workings of my camera a little more.

My current problem may not be a problem at all, maybe just a peeve i'll have to deal with.

When i attempt to take long distance shots (1500 feet plus) and then view them at 4000x3000 (12m) they look like complete garbage. Even if the auto focus selects the proper area. (digital zoom and intelligent zoom are both disabled).

Is this something i have to live with forever or is it just the limitation of my camera?

If i do not have to live with this forever, how would i fix it?

Here is the link to the pictures in question. These are all taken outside of my window. I took the closeup shots to give myself a break from the distance (and to show you my camera is capable of taking decent pics lol)
HELP!!! - a set on Flickr

Please feel free to view the rest of the pictures on my flickr, they aren't much but show a few of my interests.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brexxin/sets/

 

[edouble]

I think that what is affecting your pictures is normal hot sunny day haze. I do not know how to fix this other than post processing.

 

[MrBarney]

Are you meaning the landscape shots? They don't look as crisp as the shot of the flowers as there is much more dynamic range - the sky is much brighter than the ground. Therefore either the sky looks washed out, or the ground looks dark and muddy.

There also looks like some haze as edouble mentioned. A polarising filter may help.

 

[Brexxin]

I suppose it is more "bad luck" than "bad shot"...i found a landscape image similiar to mine that was taken by 4 DSLR cameras. I suppose this just isn't a shot that i will be able to capture that "as amazing as in person" feel.

Review: DSLR group test Digital SLR Review

Enlarged best looking photo: http://www.ephotozine.com/articles/dslr-group-test-11857/images/pentax_k7_landscape.jpg

 

[bazooka]

It's not as much as your camera as it is atmosphere. As stated above, a big problem is haze. A polarizer will help. Also, the light at that time of the day is harsh and unattractive so landscapes generally look pretty unimpressive, at least in 2d. It could also be an issue with the optics of your lens at that focal length/aperture, but I doubt it.