i've been tasked to find a camera that's good for taking good shots in low-light conditions, such as at charity events and gala dinners.
So there will be enough light for people to see what they are eating?
A large sensor bridge camera ... macro to zoom all with a single lens.
I have an Fujifilm HS30 ... probably plenty enough for your needs, mine follows me around everywhere
on my training bike. Its a good chuck around unit that's probably more resistant to six foot drops (or bike
crashes) than most dslr's and is fine in "exr" mode for point and shoot work.
Or if you want better performance with low light, i also have a Fuji XS-1 bridge, which i consider the best
and most versatile camera i've ever owned. Larger sensor than the HS30, able to produce nice depth
of field shots, great fun clicking through the menus and "driving" it into each shot.
Remember when diesel engines started appearing in cars, and all the petrol heads ignored them
in disgust? Most dslr owners who've spent ££££'s on lenses and filters probably think the same
about bridge cameras.
(Owner of three dslr's, two are faulty, the other is crap compared to the XS-1).