I'm partial to Canons. I've been seeing the
S5 IS cameras on sale at some places for ~280 or so. The S5 IS is rather large and requires a lens cap. If that's too much camera for you, I think you'd be perfectly happy with the smaller and cheaper
SX100 IS. It's a dandy camera that you can pick up pretty easily for 200 bucks.
If you're looking for a subcompact, their SD1100s are really spiffy and have been going for around 125 online at several places.