Phred-Yes I read everything before trying it out, and it was very bright before I changed anything. Also I do hold the button down half-way first, it doesn't really make a difference.

*Edit*

Originally posted by Cinder & Smoke
2) You wrote conflicting statements about look good / not good
on the computer monitor...
I would judge the quality of a photo on its appearance on the
computer monitor, NOT the LCD camera screen!
Yeah that's why I left it alone at first, as I thought they just looked bright on the LCD screen, but they were the same on the computer.