I have the Panasonic HDC SD60. It's compact, has a good range of functions and gives very good results, and it's more or less within budget if you shop around. There are some irritations - for me anyway - but I suppose some of them will be common to all entry level camcorders.
1. The small, lightweight, sleek design make it difficult to hold steady at times.
2. There's no viewfinder. This is a pain in bright sunlight and means that you can't steady the camcorder against your face.
3. Wind noise is very intrusive.
4. The touch screen isn't very responsive to fingertip pressure and you really have to use the little stylus that comes with it.
5. The separate battery charger is an expensive extra, so you have to charge the battery mounted on the camcorder.
5. It frequently displays a "Panning too fast" warning, even when you're not panning. I haven't found a way to switch this off.
Do I like it? Yes, with these reservations. Would I buy it again, maybe.