The S5 has a scene mode which allows control of sharpness, see if you didnt forgot yours with added sharpness
other than that, have you tried diffusing the flash? unless its personal prefference like speed in the field, it would make a huge difference
I did not know about the sharpness control! Thanks!
Most of the issue here was using naked flash. I would bring my camera with me when heading out in the forest to do work, and didn't have much time to work the shots. I have a diffuser now that I can throw on the flash, so that should improve my snapshots.
I shot the 2009 shots with the CHDK RAW option on, so I can always re-process them if it was a JPEG sharpening issue.