Consumer Reports has an article about buying camcorders that might interest you. Here's a brief excerpt:
Best values among digital camcorders:
7, 8 Panasonic, $700
9 Sony, $500, CR Best Buy
14 Canon, $500
The Panasonic PV-DV73 (7) and Panasonic PV-GS50 (8) offer high overall performance and good reliability. The Sony DCR-TRV350 (9), the only D8 model we tested, can play 8mm and Hi8 tapes, has an excellent image-stabilizing system, and the best lowlight performance among the digital camcorders. Sony D8 models have also been reliable. The Canon ZR60 (14) is lighter and somewhat easier to use, but Canon has been among the more repair-prone brands of digital camcorders
DVD Camcorders:
6 Panasonic, $900
The best of the three DVD camcorders tested, the Panasonic VDR-M30PP (6) has an excellent image stabilizer. DVD camcorders are too new for us to know how reliable they are likely to be..