NEX-F3 frustration--is this related to ISO 200?

I doubt it.

If you look closely you'll see that the NEX shots are not that bad. There is a lot of detail in there. flat, dull, but it's there. It's just a matter of how you process the images ... either upfront in-camera (jpeg settings) or afterwards (RAW processing).

A NEX or other CSC or a DSLR can capture enough detail (sharpness, dynamic range) to get decent images, but you'll have to tell the camera how to do it. A compact camera might already do the processing that makes the images look "good" (that's what compact cameras often are made for) but if you look at the details you'll often see blown highlights, artifacts, posterization, noise etc etc.

I never use the "auto" mode on my NEX, but I also had the impression that the auto jpeg result is rather dull, unless you really start finetuning it.