The Canon HV20 and HV30 are right in that price range. HD to boot. I picked up a refurbished HV20 for around $430. Love it. You will be very tempted to buy extras. A good wide angle lens, extra batteries, tapes, shotgun mic, thats not even including a tripod or camera arm.
Do a search on reviews for these videocameras. They have picture quality that outdoes every camera in their price range. Check them out.