Are you actually looking for a DSLR? If so, $300 is not going to cut it.... Canon and Nikon are widely considered the top of the line for that market.
What do you really need the camera for? Don't go and buy one with tons of features that you will never ever use and may not even know what are.

So many ppl buy a camera with 35 bells and whistles and they never take it off "Easy" mode. lol
My personal recommendation (unless you are using it professionally), is to not worry about the MegaPixels (anything over 6 is overkill) and spend the money on a good optical zoom, image stabilization and a quality lens... next to that is a good clear LCD and the rest is just frills for the most part.
The best thing to do if you're not sure is read lots and lots of reviews, both by the pros and the Joe Sixpacks out there.... get an idea of what the general public thinks about the camera that they own and use before you go and buy it. :d