Digital Camera Expert Needed. Fujifilm Finepix F40fd Problem?

I have read the manual and still cannot find the answer to my question. The exposure on the images seems far to bright as i can take a picture outside and i get a white image with a little detail. Inside is similar as the picture is washed out and has light ripples on the image. Now it is not the lens as when i record with it the movies are perfect, sharp and full of colour and the light and contrast is perfect. I'm stumped as to why. Can anyone give me some tips for adjusting the camera settings to get the quality of the pictures to that of the movies. It seems odd that it can record perfect movies and take washed out pictures. Thanks in advance.