Is Sony, Nikon, or Canon the best for digital cameras?

I don't want anything too fancy between 100 and 200 dollars probably.

I like canon
check out canonusa.com
lots of sales going on
check your local paper
when you find the model you like

Sony Cybershot, easy to use, strong build, lots of features.

They all make good cameras.

I think if you can prioritize what you think you'll take more pictures of then you may get a better idea on which camera you want based on features. All cameras have strengths and weaknesses, and I think for your purposes you can tell by which features are the most useful for you. When I say features I mean stuff like Anti-Motion Blur and Hand-held Twilight on Sony cameras - not stuff like face detection which is not an actual picture taking mode like the others are.

I think if you read up on the ways the features on the cheaper point and shoots perform then you'll probably be able to find a camera better suited for your needs. I suggest dpreview.com for such reviews (and really you just need to check the summaries, not necessarily the entire review article).

Take a look at the cheaper models for Sony, Canon, and Nikon on a site like Adorma.com or BHphotovideo.com where you can isolate cameras based on your price range - and check dpreview and maybe a few other sites on the features and the camera's performance. Then you should be good to go.

In my personal opinion at the 100-200 price range the cameras from any of those companies are going to generally be about the same. The features are different - they all most likely will do similar things, but the approaches can be different and you may be able to measure which camera utilizes its features better.

I think that is the easiest way for you to tell which is best for you because you can measure the feature performances better than the individual camera performances.

They are all very good brands. Get the most features you want at the cheapest price. I suggest read up on info regarding different features such as optical zoom, fully auto or you control shutter speed etc.