I've been looking hard trying to find a camcorder to suit my needs. The Cannon HF100 is probably overkill but I'm having trouble in my search for something else. Given its more than I need (ideally I'm looking to shoot 720p) I don't want to get it if it is going to make editing a pain and I hear AVCHD takes a very powerful system.

Here are my specs (I'd consider minor upgrades if it would get me there):
Vista Business 64bit
Intel Q6600 Quad at 2.4GHz
4GB DDR2 800 memory
ATI HD4850 video card

I'm combining footage with 720p video recorded from game consoles. I typically can edit 720p fine as long as its not a crappy format, but never have worked with anything higher. I'll be making online videos but preferably I'd want to keep higher res archives in case I ever use the vids across any other medium (most likely DVDs).

I was hoping to find a solid 720p camcorder with external mic input but that doesn't seem to exist in at least the consumer market ( was hoping to spend under $400 but could stretch up to like $700). I'm just using it, on a tripod, to essentially capture one or more people playing video games.

Of course I'd enjoy more features, etc for other uses I might find but its not really necessary. If the HF100 might give me any trouble I'm probably just gonna pick up a cheap Samsung MX20 even though its not HD and try to sync up the video with an external mic.

Thanks.