Look for a compact that is as least as smooth pictures as my old d80?

I just bought a nikon p300 and maybe was expecting too much but pics seemed very crunchy at all iso and settings with jpeg atifacts noticeable compared to my old d80 so sent it back. I'm expecting too much? Not looking for something better than the d80 just natural looking picks

By D80, do you mean the Nikon D80?

in which case the only compacts cameras that can come close are the Fujfilm X100 and Leica x1

if you don't want to spend that much, you can look at the Canon S95 and Panasonic LX5, but don't expect the same quality

You are indeed expecting too much.

You have just "discovered" the difference between the quality of an APS-C sized sensor in a Nikon DSLR and the finger nail sized 1/2.3" sensor in your point and shoot.

Even though the P300 has 12.2 MP it will NEVER beat a 6MP let alone a 10MP DSLR.

Well most compact cameras have sensors that are so small that they can't hope to compete with a DSLR except in perfect lighting conditions.

If you want a capable compact, the only real choices are the Fujifilm X100, Leica X1, and Sigma DP1/2. Problems are they aren't very compact and also rather expensive.

You may want to consider a compact system camera. For example an Olympus PEN, or the New A12 module for the Ricoh GXR.