General

[ta2maki]

I'd say maybe the Canon SD4500 would probably work for you. It's nearing end of life so prices have dropped. It's going for about $150. It has 10X zoom not spectacular but good enough for most stuff. 10mp is plenty(you shouldn't rely on MP for taking closeups, you want good zoom for closeups) It has up to 3200iso for action shots(reduces blur at the expense of noise.) It's not super small, but small enough for your pocket. Lastly, it has 1080 video.

Again, it's nearing EOL so you may not be able to find it locally and have to get it online.
Here's a detailed review.
Canon Powershot-Sd4500-Is Review: Overview

[Deus Machina]

Wow, a few quick replies since I checked last...

Yes, if I wanted a camera to be a purely awesome camera, I'd use the tax refund and spend $500 on a good DSLR. But for school functions, the shop, fishing, and so on, I just need a decent point-and-shoot.
You're right, I don't need stupid high MP for what that is. I'd be happy with 7 or 8, really, if it's good. A good zoom is more important, like ta2maki said.
It doesn't need super watch-a-bullet speed, but I should be able to take pictures of people jogging, you know? Why do brand new Fujifilms and Canons blur out Grandma Oldstein pushing a shopping cart, when a ten-year-old basic Nikon can pick out machine marks on a part in the lathe? I don't need that fast, but running speed is nice.

The video doesn't need to be great, but it needs to be there. Thus why I'm not getting a DSLR. Heck, even 480 would be okay. Nothing's ending up in theaters.

Thanks for the suggestions so far. I'm looking through all these (I don't even mind 'end of life,' as long as it's good), and even keeping my eyes open for larger used cameras, as long as they do what I need them to.

'Pocket sized' is relative, by the way. If my pants will handle a .38 in the front pocket, they'll handle a reasonably sized camera in the back.

[Lead-Foot]

Why not get a nice cell phone with a good camera? 2 cool things, plus you get a gps and all the extras with a phone.

[Deus Machina]

Originally Posted by Lead-Foot

Why not get a nice cell phone with a good camera? 2 cool things, plus you get a gps and all the extras with a phone.

Because it's no less expensive than a decent camera, and I'd have to dear with the recurring costs.

Plus, they rarely have a decent zoom.

It's on my list, but for now a camera is a camera, and my phone is a $20 pre-paid, and pretty much just makes phone calls.

[CJOttawa]

For what it's worth: most point and shoots have significant "lag" between when you press the shutter button and when the photo is taken.

Even a basic, used DSLR has near instantaneous image capture after shutter press. It's why parents pick up a DSLR for baby pictures - too many frustrating "just missed it" moments.

[Deus Machina]

Originally Posted by CJOttawa

For what it's worth: most point and shoots have significant "lag" between when you press the shutter button and when the photo is taken.

I'll keep that in mind, but so far anything reputable hasn't had enough to set me off any more than my natural compensation does. I'm not exactly the Flash.

After comparing, I just ordered Panasonic's Lumix DMC-ZS10 (thanks for the link, gremlin! That's $90 cheaper than Newegg!) because it looks like a hell of a camera for a point-and-shoot. Certainly more than I need for the Youtube-esque videos and eBay pictures that will be 99% of its purpose. If I get into photography as a hobby, I will probably pick up a used Rebel.

[Jaccen]

How "tech savvy" are you? If you feel comfortable firmware flashing, you can achieve many DSLR features on a Canon "point-and-shoot" on a budget:

Turn Your Point-and-Shoot into a Super-Camera

[ta2maki]

Originally Posted by Jaccen

How "tech savvy" are you? If you feel comfortable firmware flashing, you can achieve many DSLR features on a Canon "point-and-shoot" on a budget:

Turn Your Point-and-Shoot into a Super-Camera

CHDK is great but it's kind of cumbersome to use. Fortunately you don't need to mess with any firmware on some cameras. On my SX20, I just copy the files on my SD card. To turn it on, I just lock the SD card. To go back to factory, unlock the SD card.

[Jaccen]

Didn't know about that. That's actually pretty cool.