Hi Doug. I agree that a store like B&H is a good idea. Cnet is a good web site to use for reviews. I can't recommend a specific model but I would offer some things to consider.

Do you want standard definition or high definition? If you want to work in HD you have to have the software that can process it.

What record media do you want? Most new camcorders use hard drives or flash memory. It's harder to find one that still uses mini DV tape but there are a few. If you shoot tape you get to keep the tapes as a record. But the transer of the video to your computer is in real time. If you use a hard drive or flash memory you can download the video to your computer at much faster than real time. But the only archive you will have is on your computer which eventually will fill up. So you might have to buy an external hard drive to store the video.

All of the new consumer camcorders are built to be small. So you'll never get the type of lens your looking for unless you step up to the pro-sumer models which usually run $3-5,000.

Good luck. Tom.