Kodak Z812IS users - please answer?

I am a previous DX6490 user and just purchased the Z812IS Kodak Camera. I have taken many pictures with it in the last couple of weeks and I am very disappointed with the results of the pictures using the "Smart Scene" auto mode. I am also unhappy with the "SCN Sports" mode. I used these two modes a lot with my DX6490, but with the Z812 these modes seem to have a lot of noise.

I use my camera for the following things: shooting around the house (my children), watching a sporting event of my children from the bleachers (this is always a toughie), and I have also become an unprofessional photographer taking sports individual pictures & sports team pictures for parents who can't afford professional pictures (we live in a poor community). I recently did a photo shoot with my new camera using the smart scene mode (this is how I learned I was unhappy). Using this mode I found that there is not a fill flash option. (Wait a minute I will be adding to this...)

I have never been very good at understanding the manual setting. Last night I was playing around with the manual setting and got some really neat pictures, not having a clue what I did to get those results.

Tell me how you use your camera... your favorite modes and why? I am also wanting to know why you use your "P Mode", vs. your "A Mode", vs. your "S Mode", vs. your "M Mode."

Thank you for your input.

For action you could go to "S" and set it to the lowest acceptable shutter speed and let the computer manipulate aperture and film speed to produce proper exposure.

Download the large manual on Kodak's site (Much more detailed than what came with camera) and study page 40.

My Smart Scene has worked well. I have not done much with SCN.