Hey, I need a cheap camera. I'm in high school and I'm looking to make some movies. I have a ZR80 but I'm experiencing sound distortion and disturbances due to an extremely loud motor. Common problem in ZR80's. Anyways, I get to send it back and get a full refund which is like $350. I can then spend that on a new camera plus another $100-$150. So, can anyone tell me a good camera for any price under $500?

That's odd. My ZR40 is pretty quiet.

I know the Optura is one step up, and reportedly fairly decent.

With that budget you can't really go that high.