Agree with first reviewer, but consider another big "but." :-)

To quote the first reviewer: "It's only glaring deficiency is that the on-board flash, it works very poorly, takes all kinds of fooling around to get a decent shot, and its all guesswork, you really have no idea what its going to do..."

It's true. At reasonably expected party/event conditions (e.g. medium to low lighting), the on-board flash will give you about four feet of generally adequate coverage; however, whether or not the background will be darkly washed out is another story. Beyond this distance, your photos will be dark, including the subject.

As a side note, nothing kills a party faster than canvassing the room and interrupting discussion with, "excuse me, but can I wedge in here for a moment? I need to make sure my flash works. Thanks, now, carry on..."

"...just maybe its a terrible flaw in the camera."

I don't think of it as a design flaw. Rather, I believe it's the price we pay (the trade off, if you will) for this camera at this price point. In hindsight, I may have purchased the Canon Rebel instead, but I can't say with certainty because I haven't yet experienced the *ist DL with a proper, satisfactory flash.

The nutshell: Assuming you value and desire high-quality indoor photos, be prepared to upgrade the flash shortly after purchasing this camera. It is likely that after two experiences shooting indoor events, you will grow quite weary from having to modify _most or all_ of the indoor photos you took with Photoshop. Plus, this process often distorts image/color quality.

Thus...

The caveat: Don't expect to put just one toe into this pool. That is, don't purchase this camera believing you won't need to upgrade the base. Odds are, if you do, you will be disappointed.

And, lastly, the final "but" — for all the worthy features (and potential) this camera model does indeed provide (outdoor shots and those taken under high-lighting conditions are positively gorgeous!), one would be hard pressed to find a very similar base camera at the same price point. Hence, the 'excellent' rating. While not perfect, given the price, it is an excellent camera.

Good luck!