Looking to buy my first HD camera. Currently I'm considering the Pansonic HMC40 and the Sony FX7 most strongly -- based in large part on these video: http://vimeo.com/7333327 (FX7), http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bc3WHh7hmGQ (FX7),
(HMC40), and http://vimeo.com/8244743 (HMC40).
Budget is not high (definitely sub $2000 -- preferably around $1500) and I'm perfectly fine (more or less planning on) buying used.
I prefer CCD to CMOS -- rolling shutter, noise pattern, etc., -- so all things being equal, I'd prefer a CCD to CMOS censor (I haven't found a CCD in my price range that I like). I want a camera that can handle detail well (woods, densely packed, deep focus compositions). Shallow DOF is not important to me. I will be shooting in low light often, but my low light requirements are different that most, probably: I like noise/texture, so ultra-clean low light performance isn't really important. Based on the videos above, I like the low-light performance of the FX7 and HMC40. Light sensitivity is important though, and the way the noise is rendered is important. I like fine noise rather than smeary, chunky noise. I'll be using hand-held and steadicam shots most often -- probably another reason why CCD would be preferable. 24p would be nice, but isn't necessarily a dealbreaker. Some slow motion capability is a plus.
I'd appreciate any thoughts on the two cameras I've mentioned, plus any others I may have overlooked.
(Also, I have looked at some of the HD capable DSLRs out there [GH1, etc], but I'm not really interested. I don't want 35mm DOF, which seems to be their main claim to fame. I'm not sure I can be sold on one of these.)