Budget HD Camcorders

Yesterday I was asked for a recommendation for a budget hd camcorder, mainly for their kids sports.  After researching, these were my three picks:

Canon VIXIA HF M500 Full HD Camcorder

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/838772-REG/Canon_M500_VIXIA_HF_M500_Full.html

$339.00 (rebate offer -$100 till march 2, price listed reflects that offer)

Sony HDR-CX260V High Definition Handycam 8.9 MP Camcorder with 30x Optical Zoom and 16 GB Embedded Memory (Black) (2012 Model)

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-HDR-CX260V-Definition-Handycam-Camcorder/dp/B006K5507M

$350.00

Panasonic V500 Full HD Camcorder

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=compare.jsp&A=details&Q=&sku=838811&is=REG

$312.00

Comparison chart:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&A=compareChart&Q=&ci=1871&items=%3B%3B838322-REG%3B838772-REG%3B%3B842231-REG%3B838811-REG#removeItem=842231

these are my top recommendations for each brand.  i would pick the sony and canon over the panasonic and i would choose the sony only because it takes better still photos by a long shot!

there are cheaper ones if you just step down the ladder in that group i.e. 

Sony HDR-CX190 High Definition Handycam Camcorder

Price: $179.99

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=838315&Q=&is=REG&A=details

My basis:

these are the three brands i would go with... i think JVC is good but i am totally unfamiliar with them...

The main things you should look at are:

1.) sensors

2.) shutter speed/f stop

3.) optical zoom

4.) HD capability

5.) computer capability

Batteries To Go

Planning for China (and other trips)

I am putting the finishing touches on all equipment needed for my son's trip to China.  I purchased adapters, back up batteries, and one more sdhc card.

"New Trent iGeek IMP99D/NT99D 9900mAh External Battery Pack and Charger for iPad (4th gen) with Retina display, the NEW iPad (3rd gen), iPad 2, iPhone"
Electronics; $69.95
In Stock
   Sold by: idealpoint

"OREI 2 in 1 USA to Australia/China Adapter Plug (Type I) - 4 Pack, Black"
Electronics; $9.06
In Stock
   Sold by: Amazon.com LLC

"New Trent NT52D/NT-5200 iDual 5200mAh 1A/0.5A Dual USB Ports External Battery Pack for the new iPad, iPad2, iPhone 5 4S 4 3Gs 3G, , iPod Touch all ver"
Electronics; $32.95
In Stock
   Sold by: idealpoint

I chose the New Trent over the less expensive Anker due to cord issues with the Anker.  I was going to purchase the less expensive New Trent easy pack for $50  but went with the newer iGeek when i saw that they were offering the NT5200 for free.

"SanDisk Ultra 16 GB SDHC Class 10 Flash Memory Card 30MB/s SDSDU-016G-AFFP"
Personal Computers; $16.30
In Stock
   Sold by: Amazon.com LLC

I went with the lower write speed because we have an older sony camera  (dsc-hx5v) and the lexar I use now has  areas/write speed of 133, so i didn't need more.

Will post reviews when received.