Hi Geordi Graham,
I have just joined this interesting forum. Have you tried adjusting the in camera settings to address lack of contrast colour etc.
Press the "Menu" button near the top left corner of the screen. The first menu should be "Rec Mode". Scroll down to Saturation, Sharpness and Contrast. Move them all to +1 for a situation like the photographs. I will "boost" the image a little. Play around with the setting until you get the look you're after right out of the camera.
In australia, the sun is quite harsh, so I have the contrast set at -1 most of the time, otherwise I get blown highlights.
Regards