Anyone Know Anything About Camcorders?

So I'm looking into getting a camcorder as a belated birthday gift (I love how once you reach a certain age everyone just gives you money so you can get that one thing you really want), and figured I'd try to harness the power of the blogosphere (or our class, at least) and see if anyone had any sage advice. I'd like to keep the price as low as possible, but I don't want something that I'll want to throw away in a year.

I plan on using it mostly for screwing around, recording the District, our cats, friends, etc, but it would be great if I could use it out on the campaign trail at some point to create some video that could at least be put up on a website. I've worked with video a bit in the past, and know that I definitely want a mic in and headphone out jack, as well as a firewire jack so I can export it to Final Cut (and use it for iChat). I definitely plan on brushing up on my video editing skills, even if it's just for sophomoric stuff.

At this point, I'm thinking about the Panasonic PV-GS65 or PC-GS150. The 3CCD chip setup that both have is really attractive, and both have the mic, headphone, and DV ports that I need. Between these two, the question is whether the GS150 is worth $85 extra for an intelligent accessory show, the Leica Dicomar lens, and slightly better video.

I'd totally appreciate any advice that anyone can give on deciding between these two, another brand, or anything else at all you think I should think about before I buy. It's between this or getting an iPod, so I'd love to know that I'm getting something great if I skip over something I know I'd love!