Thanks to both of you for your help. I have tried using the custom setting and increased both the sharpness and saturation. This has certainly given the image a bit more zap. The normal setting gives a somewhat flat appearance. I'm now a happy bunny!
With regards to the lens Dom: I use a 18-70 and a 70-300 plus an 18-200VR for travel. I'm interested in changing the 18-70 to the new 16-85VR as my general purpose lens as it have both VR and s useful range. I'll hold off until I see some test results.