I'm far from a camera expert, but a couple years ago I bought a Casio Exilim ZR700 off the bay brand new for $200.
It has a 25 mm lens, which is a nice wide-angle, and it has 18x optical zoom (so the 35 mm equivalent focal length ranges between 25 mm and 450 mm).
It shoots full HD, and can shoot at up to 1000 fps at the lowest resolution.
And it can snap photos in RAW.
I've used it in a few applications (lifting form checks, and a couple technical projects involving 1000 fps), and it's an incredibly reliable piece of hardware.