What digital video camera should I get?

Hard drive camcorders are not, the best option, they suffer if exposed to vibration, the heads (in the hard drive) will park, (stop working) and the recording process will stop. the length of time it takes to get the drive to spin up (start) and altitude. in severe cases this can actually stop the drive working altogether.

your better option is a flash drive camcorder, few moving parts, increases battery life, if the drive becomes full then you can just put another one in, you do not have to carry your laptop with you, in case you fill up the hard drive. Many people try to get as much video on their camcorders, by reducing the quality, I cannot see the point in buying a high quality camcorder with the latest high definition, and then reduce the quality to get more on the drive. just get a couple of flash cards.

All the main companies produce good quality camcorders, IE Sony, Canon, Even JVC, but the model is down to personal preference, what suits you, you do not want small camcorder if you have large hands, or a big camera if you have small hands, you need to be able to reach the controls with out having to look. The best way is to get you hand on various camcorders and play with them.

Good luck

RR