Did you ever make a decision on what you were getting?
Like you, I like the Canon brand, especially for the higher-end models.
See all Canons current here here:
http://www.amazon.com/s/?_encoding=U...6FQ3THQQSHTBB3
There's several in the $300 range.
Canon is really leading the video world right now, for both cameras and DSLRs. They've even beat out RED on a few things! I keep eying them every 6 months or so, to see if what I want exists yet. It's getting closer.
As stated, most under $500 cameras act the same. That's a budget consumer line.
Unlike a lot of topics we cover here -- web hosting, VCRs, TBCs, etc -- cameras are a lot like CD-R. They're so mature now that they are almost all the same.
The only differences are:
- zoom length
- the tiny minutia. Example: Sony uses their proprietary flash cards, not SDHC.
- mostly-useless "features", such as in-camera editing (consumer fare not found on pro cameras)
As far as pointing it at something, hitting the record button, and expecting good video, they'll look the same. In some ways, home user cameras haven't improved since the 80s. For example, the exposure is still as awful now as it was on the old shoulder-mounted tanks. The "details" are all soft, due to small little sensors in the consumer cameras. You won't be using it to shoot the next episode of your favorite TV show.
Understand I say all of this from annoyance. I want a better camera as well, for under $500 (even $1K!), but it's just not out there. In some ways, I feel as if video has downgraded from the days of DV. At least the "good" HD cameras went from $15k to $10k to now $5k in the past ~7 or so years. DSLR cameras are also just 1-2 generations away from being more than just novelty. I can't do what I want, without breaking the bank. Shooting video is just hobby for me. (As opoosed to what we do here, which is professional video work, for video that's already been shot.)
