Canon powershot SX10. Review on Canon Powershot SX10 IS

I bought this camera to replace my aging Canon A620. The 620 was really a remarkable camera, but it was starting to fail and I was ready for an upgrade, so I got this SX10IS. I did buy it used, so perhaps there were some problems present that wouldn't exist in an brand new version, though this one appeared like new. My biggest difficulty off the bat was the poor exposure, even with new batteries. The pop-up flash just didn't light the subject and surroundings as well as my old fixed flash did, so the picture quality suffers. I bought a flash for the hot shoe but haven't had time to teach myself how to use it properly. Still, I'd hoped the auto setting would have taken care of me like the 620 did for many years. I should mention that Canon had made several changes that made it more user-friendly in comparison to the older model. One of my favorites is a push button picture review vs. the slide button of old. And a tap of the shutter release button brings you immediately back to picture-taking mode. That only names a few positive changes. It's a beautiful camera - bigger and heavier than my old one, but I knew that going in. I loved the fully articulating screen so much that I insisted on having it again, and it's indispensable to me still. I have to get used to popping up the flash, something I consider an annoyance but again, I knew that going in. I am a hack photographer taking pics of family and friends in indoor and outdoor settings; the children challenge the shutter lag, which surprisingly feels longer on this newer camera. I'm just very unhappy with picture capture in auto mode (haven't used it much beyond that)