Completely lost -- need a decent HD video camera

[Bruce Simpson]

Regarding the autofocus -- I also do a lot of shooting that involves relatively close-work with the focus having to change from (say) a hand held into shot and then back to the backdrop at regular (and often unscripted) intervals -- therefore unsuited to manual focus opeation.

I've watched a lot of video from other expensive (but not professional) cameras and have noticed that Cannon is *very* slow at refocus in auto mode and JVC often bounces around going in and out of focus. The Panasonic has been rock-solid -- changing focus in just a few hundred miliseconds either way then staying locked.

Perhaps I am expecting too much from a top-end consumer camera -- but my current Panasonic delivered it in their top-end consumer product, why can't anyone do it today?

Maybe I'll end up having to buy two cameras with different strengths and try to pick the "least bad" one based on the type of shot.