My recommendation, not necessarily in order, would be the ff:
- Panasonic GH2
- Panasonic SD90 or TM90
If you want the best IQ the GH2, at this time, is it. I won't discuss its merits as you already know or can find that out easily. The downside is higher cost and the need to get longer lenses w/c further adds to the cost. You may be limited to around 700mm or so in FL (35mm equiv) all around.
If you want more reach at an really affordable price, it would be the SD90 or TM90. The difference between the two is that the TM90 has a built-in 16gb flash memory, while the SD90 does not. But the are the same camera. These babies have a 20x zoom and an intelligent zoom of 40x. It's intelligent zoom past 20-22x is digital BUT image is still good unlike older digital zoom. It is not just useful but really quite good. It starts at 28mm (35mm size equiv). Do the math and you can literally go 1,600mm in reach! The amazing thing is the stabilization of these cameras are very, very good, even while you are nearing its longest FL. 28mm-1,600mm is a pretty good range.
As an added bonus, for U$250 (went down in price from U$350 early on), you can put a 3D attachment there and shoot in 3D. This may not be of use to you, but if you have a 3D TV or just want to experiment, later on, this is a feature that you can opt into.
Moreover, the amazing thing is the price. All now are below U$500. The SD-90 is even listed at around U$350 at BHPhoto. You may not like the very small size though. But since you mentioned about weight and size limiting you in another post, this may be good enough for you.
The sensor is small at 1/4" but it is very good in low light. It's in the same pedigree of the 1/3" typical sensors in video, maybe even better in some instances. Canon, Sony, and Panasonic have all made great strides in sensors in the past years that is why they can get away with atrocious low light performances even as they make the sensors smaller.
As for bokeh and shallow DOF, as you reach 300mm or more, even a small sensor will give you a decent blurring of the background. The important thing is that these cameras can reach 1,000mm range. You can go to youtube or vimeo and see how these cameras perform. They can be quite good for such small cameras. You can check out the more expensive TM-900 or TM-750 if you want more control or other features. This will tip you at U$1,000 price range. But the sensor is still 1/4" and about the same in IQ as these lower end siblings. They are not slouches either, so don't dismiss them easily.
As for Canon's video offering. They are all very good. Even better than these panny's. Their sensor is larger at 1/3" or 1/2.5" or so in some other models. Their M400/M41 are very good if you are in a tight budget. Of course, there are the other higher end models (GX10 I believe). But as the sensor becomes bigger, the reach is compromised or is lesser. Many of their models come in 30mm or so at wide then hit around 390-500mm at most. And since they are not going to give you more reach unless you put some extenders there. They are not interchangeable so, you can't get lenses there. Only attachments, w/c may or may not be a factor as they may impact IQ more than true lenses.
Hence, I tend to gravitate more towards the Panasonics. I wish they have larger sensors in the 1/3" range, but their lineups are all basically 1/4" and they seem to be doing well. Go for the GH2 if you want more pro features or control.
--
--------------------
'Always in the process of changing, growing, and transforming.'
