I have considered the following HD camcorders:

Canon HF200, HF S100
Panasonic TM300
Sony XR200V, XR500V, XR520V

Here is my rationale in narrowing my choices:

1) Sony may be better but I don't want to deal with a HDD based camcorder (risk of data loss due to shock) and I do not like the (non-standard) memory stick

2) Panasonic TM300 is best rated on Camcorderinfo.com & is among the top 5 on CNET but that is pretty much it. The overall reviews on Panasonic TM300 are low, including Amazon

I am now down to the Canon HF200 & HF S100 - both have great reviews on Amazon (69 as of date for HF200 - 4.5 stars, 45 as of date for HF S100, 4.5 stars) Not to mention HF100 has 233 reviews of date with 4.5 stars.

Overall, the reviews tell me Canon camcorders are well accepted by the consumers/ prosumers than the Panasonic.
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