I can vouch for the JVC GR-range. I've got a GR-DV47 (or something similar
) that is pretty basic nowadays, but the quality is good and there is almost zero camera noise. It's got a 10x optical zoom and a 200x digital zoom. It works pretty well in the dark, too. I bought it for a vacation to Hawaii and used it on a few drive days, but that's about it. Funny how I had all the best intentions of using it, but it's sat in it's bag for months on end.
I don't know what the latest version of this unit is called, but I'm sure that it's at least as good as my old (2 yrs old) MiniDV cam. If you can get JVCs in America, then they're worth a look.