Good DSLR camera for an art student?

I currently have a Nikon Coolpix L820, which is okay for the time being and it was super cheap, but it's a few years old now and runs out of battery really quickly. I'm looking for a good dlsr camera for photography and maybe a little film. The camera I currently have runs on batteries which is super annoying, so I'm thinking about buying a newer one that just charges.

Where can I get one what would be a good model for a budget of $350 and under?
(preferably one with a good/long battery life)
Added (1). I can squeeze out an extra $50-75 if the camera is worth it

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Fujifilm Finepix S8600 vs Nikon Coolpix L840?

Alright, I've limited my choice of camera between the two. I'm a game developer so I use cameras to take high quality pictures that I'll turn into textures for a video game, quality and lighting is very important in that situation. I'll also take pictures for references when making 3D models and stuff. I can't determine which of the two is better, I like Nikon because it has that great and trustworthy brand name and the S8600 looks particularly weirdly designed to me when the lenses are fully out, while the Nikon looks really good all around (look at a top perspective of the S8600 if you don't know what I'm talking about.) I don't really record, but it's a good feature to have whenever I need it, so I'm glad the L840 records in full HD.

What would you guys choose?

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