Okay guys, I need your help. My wife has given me the assignment to buy a new video camera. We'll be headed to RSA and Zim in August, and I thought I'd have until then to do my research. But our son in graduating from Marine Corps boot camp in two weeks, and I've just been told I have to buy one for our trip to his graduation ceremony. The clock is ticking and I'm under the gun. The kids at Best Buy, etc., aren't much help, so I'm counting on you all. Here are my parameters: it has to be HD, it should have as big an optical zoom as possible (our old camera has 40x zoom and we have put it to good use in Africa), and it should be in the $1,000-1,500 price range. What do you recommend?

I'm not really interested in video, but here's a quote from Saeed ....

"The HF 11 has the same specs, apart from having a better bit rate - 17MB v 24MB.

I would opt for the HF11, and if you hold on a bit longer, there is another one coming soon. Just look at Canon's website."

You really have no choice but to settle at 12X zoom if you wish to have an HD camera.

The HF11 is a great little camera - it has just been superceded by the HF S10, so you might be able to get it ceaper than it was.

Canon makes a standard definition camera that has 41X zoom.

Frankly, you will be hard put to realize the potential of this sort of soom without a tripod.

Thanks Saeed and Specialist. I have a good tripod and an Ergorest window mount (a great accessory when shooting video or stills from a vehicle) for the long zoom. Any idea why HD cameras don't have more than 12X zoom? Perhaps I should stick with SD for now?

You can have an HD camera with a high zoom lense, but you are talking about big money.

We have the Sony HVR-7Z, which has a 12X zoom.

I was looking at a bigger lense for it, and the price made me change my mind.

A 20x zoom lense for it costs about $8,000!!!!

That is about 1 and half times the price of the camera!!

I've decided to buy the Canon with HD and the biggest zoom, even if it's only 12X. Thanks for your advice, Saeed!

I have one of the older Canon HD's (HF 100), and I'm very happy with it. You can't go wrong!

Any chance of using a tele converter lens on a video camera?

this sort of thing

http://www.pixmania.co.uk/uk/u...a-telephoto-con.html

That one will fit the Sony camcorders listed above it.

You might also check to see what diameter your camera is, even if it is not Sony. It might fit it.