There are so many choices out there today that it is mind boggling. I am a Sony Fan. I have been taping from my treestand for over 5 years now. I'm on my second Sony Camera. The first one still works but I wanted to upgrade to a 3 CCD camera. I now have the Sony DCR TRV 950 which is no longer in production. It is a Mini DV tape camera with 3 CCD chips. I believe the newer models are the VX2000 and VX2100. Some things to look at are the carmera zoom which you addressed in your post. Optical Zoom is everything. Forget about Digital Zoom because you will quickly learn that digital zoom degrades your picture. I turn it off and never have a need for it. Most Sony Cameras have a 12X Opitical Zoom which is fine for shooting wildlife from a stand or blind. I have taken video from several hundred yards away with 12X opitcal and you can count points. I would go with the camera that can shoot in the lower numbers when LUX is concerned. I believe my camera is rated at 7 LUX and in very low light I can see the animal but to dark to video. Some cameras are in the 3 LUX range which is excellent. My camera has a 37MM lens. The VX2000 and 2100 are somewhere around 52MM. The larger being better because it allows you to shoot in lower light. The Mini DV format is stable and I will continue to use it even if I was to buy a new camera today. I know tha Canon offers some video cameras with a 16X zoom however I had a friend that was using a high end Canon (XL1) and there were times when he lost some excellent video because of a moisture over ride which shuts down the camera. This was on a foggy morning and he should not have had that problem. I was hunting the same morning and in the same area and my Sony worked. The LCD screen is important because if you are hunting you will be using the LCD most of the time. I also feel that Zoom controls on top of the camera (as the VX2100 has) will become very important to you. I use a TreePod Camera Mount to secure my camera to the tree. They work very well. Forget about anything that will attach the camera to you bow. Also make sure you get a top loading camera (to change tapes) or you will have to remove your camera from the mount every time to change tapes with anything else. Batteries. This is very important. Do not get a camera that does not have a battery that you cant take off while you are hunting. In cold weather they have half their normal life. I carry two batteries all the time and can change a battery in seconds. Do a search on the camera that I have. I know there are still reviews out there. I like the newer Sony Cameras with the larger optics (I believe it's 52MM and controls on top of the handle as well as the back of the camera. Dont rush into buying a camera. Do some research. In the long run you will be much happiers. One other thing to think about. While in the outdoors the weather can change at any minute. I invested alot in my camera so I also purchased a Porta Brace Rain Slicker to cover my camera in rain, snow, drizzle. They cost about $160 but are well worth it when you consider you may have thousands into a camera. This is a subject I could talk about for some time. These are jsut some of my thoughts. Hope they help you out.