$250 or less!

[winkydink]

What would be a good point and shoot camera for a beginner, just to play around with? I'm just beginning to search for the right camera, and would appreciate any suggestions! thanks!

[Saralonde]

There is a list (http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/top-10-point-and-shoot-digital-cameras-dps-reader-favorites/) on the blog that has favorite point and shoot cameras of DPS readers. I have not used any of these, so I do not have a personal recommendation.
Perhaps the Fuji Finepix S700 (http://shop.resellerratings.com/xPC-Fuji-FinePix-S700/PD-41645813) for arround $200. Here's a list (http://shop.resellerratings.com/SF-7/BEFID-7185/keyword-/dnatrs-price_range_190_270/name-%24190+-+%24270) of some at your price range, too.

[Dr. WooD]

I had a Canon S2 IS, and loved it. I think the newer version is S3 IS. Its close to $300 thou, but I bet you wood very happy with it.

[inkista]

I've been looking at the Canon Powershot A600-series cameras, since they tend to have a larger sensor in them than a typical point-and-shoot. The newest one (A650IS) is closer to $380 (they added IS), but the previous generation (A630, A640) are in the $200-$250 range. They have a decent zoom range, a flip-out screen (these are getting rarer), and the ability to shoot in full manual, aperture priority and shutter-speed priority, as well as being powered off AAs, rather than proprietary rechargeable battery packs. They can also take lens accessories. They're not super compact, though.

A great tool to help you narrow down the field would be dpreview's feature search (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare.asp). You can select the features you care about (including a price range) and then see the cameras' features side by side.

[mattdm]

Fujifilm Finepix F20, if you can still find one. Failing that, refurbished Finepix F31fd direct from Fuji.