Order Canon Powershot SX10IS 10MP Digital Camera with 20x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom

I bought this camera after a series of other Canon p&s camera (PowerShot series). I was very happy with Canon for the past 5+ years using either the powershot IS or the ELPH series cameras. Lately, I had a need for extra zoom for taking shots of kids at school stages, etc., so I reviewed several 'super zoom' cameras.

Pros:
o Zoom is great, although some reviews do not like that the camera shutter speed slows down as you zoom further out (at 20x, the fastest you get is 1/500)
o LCD vari-screen is quite helpful (as opposed to the fixed LCDs in P&S), specially when taking low shots of kids or birds, etc.
o I didn't miss many of the automatic scene options I got used to in prev Canon cameras
o I like the 'super macro' feature a lot. I took some close up shots of a basket of oranges - great professional focus on the near orange surface, with short depth of field, and blurred background!

Cons:
o In automode, I'm just not seeing the image sharpness in the 'normal' zoom range. The camera takes great shots of close-up pictures. Great details can be found when viewing on screen. But try something 5-10 feet, and the AF just doesn't lock sharply. Same in face-detection mode, even as the face is framed well. I compared very similar shots from powershot and this camera. It just doesn't look consistently sharp. Ocassionally I'd get one or two sharp ones, but then I've had to work quite hard to do that - several adjustments of aperture, speed, etc. like some very old SLR shots without any auto features.
o Images are very grainy, specially on the black colors even at low ISOs
o The highest resolution is 10M, then next down is 6M, which leaves a big gap on resolution. I'd prefer 10M, 9M, 8M, etc.
o The flash doesn't 'auto pop' in any mode. I'd have preferred that in 'auto' mode that it pops up (like one old SLR I had), to retain the feel of a P&S when needed
o I'd prefer a rechargeable battery. I take many pictures, so what is better to carry around, a large box of batteries or a charger?
o The sport mode is disappointing! I put it in sport mode and took several pictures of birds, some of my fish in the aquarium - not a single sharp shot! Yes, I have steady hands :-)

I'm somewhat happy with the features and superzoom and Canon's reputation. But, I'm not able to decide whether to try another camera before returning this. Some symptoms indicate I may need to learn a few techniques, but I think at least the automode and scene modes should do as expected from sub $200 cameras! I've had it for a week and taken shots in many situations, and I'm thinking of returning it.
Get more detail about Canon Powershot SX10IS 10MP Digital Camera with 20x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom.