The easiest way to set up your Nikon camera as a webcam is to use the new Nikon Webcam Utility. First, download and install the free Nikon Webcam Utility ...
Your camera is setting its exposure to your subject, which if it's darker than the background will cause the background to over expose. You need to set the exposure to the background which then will cause your background to be properly exposed and your foreground or subject to be darker. With a point n shoot camera, accomplishing this might be a difficult task. But if you expose to the background and use the fill flash, you should then get your properly exposed image.
Here are some troubleshooting steps that you can try that may (or may not) correct your problem. They only seem to work for less than 40% of the lens errors, but if the camera is out of warranty (or repair cost approaches that of the camera), they're worth that try. Some of the later steps do involve some risk to the camera, so carefully weigh your options before deciding to conduct them:And here's a video summary of the steps:
