I want a video camera and would like to spend around £400 or perhaps less in the sales – what should I buy?

addicted to answers asked: I have been told that Canon, Panasonic or Sony are the best – true?
people said I should get high definition and hard drive – good idea?
how many gb is good – 30gb or more?
I want to use it for home movies but also perhaps to make short documentaries for a charity [...]