What are today's replacements for my Nikon 995?

I am out of touch with the middle market cameras being sold today, although I am aware that the point and shoot low end has gotten a lot better and the high end and DSLR cameras are stunning - but the latter are out of my price range ($300-500 I guess) or need.

What I like about the 995 is the long optical zoom range, the choice of automatic or controlled exposure/speed, the ability to tilt the lens with respect to the screen, the zoom range finder view for low light, and the firm grip for my large hands.

What I never got used to was the long time to open up and the delay in settling focus and exposure in automatic - hard to grab a shot as I did with film. I know these improved a lot in the first year or so after I bought the camera.