i want to buy a small point & shoot & am having a very difficult time deciding what to buy.

i'm looking for a point & shoot where i can control the settings & shoot manually, and also one with a nice optical zoom. this is just for everyday use where i cant bring my slr. would love something that does ok in the dark (i'm sure i'm looking for too much from a p&s but i'm hoping they've improved since the last one i bought).

does anyone have any suggestions?

do the IS features on the point & shoots really work & is it worth it? right now i have an old canon powershot a520, it was a hand me down that i just use to take silly videos of the dogs with. the photos from that camera are awful! lol

there are just so many to choose from & i would love some opinions from everyone here. i would like to keep the price under 300.

thanks,
liz