Recommend a good point & shoot camera

Heading off overseas soon and need a good new reliable camera that takes great pics! i've had a samsung for the last ccouple of years, and now wanting to upgrade.
Things i'm after:
Point & shoot with some scene options
Good zoom
wide angle lense or can do scenic/panoramic shots - i don't know what you call it exactly
Price around $250 maybe more
so many cameras on the market these days so suggestions would be welcome and appreciated!

canon ixus are a good range generally. not sure about panoramas though.

cool thanks bob... will check it out

If you want to do panoramic stuff, most cameras have a function that allows you to shoot 3 pictures together and joins them up.

Agreed with bob on the ixus range... I bought a IXUS 80 IS about 3 years ago for $250 and it's a great camera :>

You can grab the 115 for $230 @ a place on the shore:

http://einfo.co.nz/shop/canon-ixus-115-hs-121mp-4x-zoom-silver-p-22566.html?osCsid=48cc11736de6d11e57068c82615f9b72

Alternatively if you want a better zoom and were willing to spend a bit more you can get the IXUS 1000 for $335...

http://einfo.co.nz/shop/canon-ixus-1000hs-10mp-hd-10x-zoom-pink-p-20102.html (comes in silver and black too)

great thanks resist... will have a look at these

Got myself a small Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX100 for the holiday and it was awesome.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/recommended-cameras.htm#pocket

read reviews of s95 and g12