There are tons of different brands, but many of the internal components are manufacturered by just a few different companies. Any of the name brands (ie Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax, Sony, HP, Samsung, etc) will do you just fine. I'd look for something in the 3.5 megapixal resolution (or better). 3.5 to 4 megapixals seems to be about the average resolution these days and you should be able to get a good camera in your price range. Obviously, your camera will have zoom. A digital 2X or greater zoom feature is nice.
I've got a 3.5 megapixal HP Photosmart that cost me well over $450 when I got it a couple of years ago. Now, a comparable camera sells for about $150. It's got 6X zoom and digital 2X zoom. It can even tape short movies. 3.5 megapixals makes for huge, high resolution pictures. I don't plan on replacing this camera until it simply breaks or wears out.
Getting the camera you want will require shopping. The good part is is that if you buy one of the major name brands, you'll get a good camera. And $250 will buy a good name-brand camera. You just have to look around until you finds one you just like.