I bought a new HD video camera this summer to replace my Canon DV that was dieing a slow death.  I LOVE the Sanyo camera I got and the bundle that included a nice case, a 1g memory card, an EXTRA battery, and a HDMI cable,  all for under $200.  $180 to be exact.  I ordered it from Best Buy online.  Fry’s had it but it was over $200.  The camera shoots 1280×720 30fps.  That’s the introductory size of HD, most camera’s now offer 1280 x 1080.  I’m happy with 1280×720 and it will help with file sizes of the video.  The camera has a nice 3″ LCD screen and 30x OPTICAL zoom!  It also has a photo taking mode.

Here is some sample footage that shows you the powerful 30x zoom: