As a high school teacher of video production, I can tell you that Sony is by far the best cameras I've ever used. they may not be the cheapest, but they are superior in durability. EVERY Canon we have is now broken, not from abuse, just lots of use, while the Sonys are still running perfectly.
Also disregard digital zoom specs. They are useless. look for the highest optical zoom you can afford. I just purchased another one for school use from B&H Photovideo for about $420.00. It's a small Sony.
www.bhphotovideo.com isn't the cheapest place, but you can not beat their service and selection.
Mike