I'm looking for a camera to carry on my rides. Had an old small Sony that was Ok but died. Now I have a Nikon L320 that is too big and heavy for my intended use, and its image quality is not too good. What I need:

• Small size - not bigger than a 'point and shoot'
• Acceptable image quality (highly subjective, I know)
• Uses standard AA batteries
• Manual override (not auto-everything) if possible
• Less than $300

I don't need:

• A lot of 'features' or 'modes'
• High megapixels
• Video or sound recording

Suggestions welcome!