i have a panasonic pv-gs15, last year's model. respectable camera on the upper end of the smaller consumer handheld line. 24x optical zoom but i can rarely get in that close. i would recommend going for quality CCD (sp?) over extremely high zoom. 20x optical is more than enough. don't pay attention to digital zoom (800x hahaha! :lol: ). just turn it off and never use it. also, i recommend not paying attention to photograph still info. you are buying a camcorder, not a digital camera. for use skiing, small and dependable and sturdy are very important. nothing worse than getting to the run of the day, whipping out the camcorder, and having an error message appear on the screen (i have had this twice, though due to my own fault for not buying a tape head cleaner). also be sure to get something that is comfortable in your hand with easy to use buttons. i think sony has a touch pad LCD screen which would drive me nuts so i avoided those models. you may wish to consider a movable eye piece if you want, most folks just use the LCD screen, preferably one that doesn't glare too badly in direct sun light. good luck.
just as important as a good quality camcorder, editing software can make or break your project. pinnacle studio 10 and the latest ulead studio are really good. i prefer pinnacle but i think studio has better transitions and picture pan options. plus pinnacle makes you pay to unlock high end features which drives me nuts.