Digital Camera Recommendations: Point & Shoots for <$300, 12MP+

[JJ]

I'm completely clueless in the world of digital cameras, and I'm assuming there's someone here who knows better in this tech - and I want to help find my father one for Christmas. His only requirements are a good battery life, 12MP or more, and the ability to shoot video, as well as all the regular features most cameras seem to come with. He likes his older Casio, so he was thinking of the Casio Exilim EX-Z1200. But I figure there are other alternatives...say, from Canon or Nikon. Can anyone offer me any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.