>>201227Fieldrecorderfriend here.
It depends what you need and if you're going to get into it and want "better" stuff in the future. My advice is to get either a Zoom H4N (MSRP $260) or a Tascam DR-40 (MSRP $200, pic related).
These are basically identical units except the Zoom comes with the ability to add more reverbs and distortion and other lame FX that aren't important for field or documentary recording at all. The mics, sound, and recording capabilities are identical - this is why I opted for the DR-40 to save cash.
You can get more expensive things if you want, or you can go cheaper too (both brands offer cheaper versions). The good thing about these two I suggest is that they have 2 mics onboard that sound great AND they allow you to plug-in your own mic or line inputs (XLR or TRS) so you can really expand your capabilities to up to 4 channels at once. Or just hold it in hand and use the onboard mics.
Links related, some various recordings I've done with the Tascam, some with the internal mics and some with external mics.
http://vocaroo.com/i/s1Y60Z97auPbhttp://vocaroo.com/i/s0yJgdGj9tLAhttp://vocaroo.com/i/s1XMuj4fu89P 