Hi Joel - Welcome back! Sorry to hear about the loss of your Panasonic.
With £1000 you have a few choices. If you want an all-in-one solution and don't want to bother with interchangeable lenses, the best value for your money is probably a
£749 Panasonic FZ1000 superzoom. This is a 3840x2160 Ultra High Definition "4K" camera with a 1" sensor, 5-axis optical image stabilization, 1080/100p slow motion and a built-in 16x optical power zoom that can create images like this:
http://vimeo.com/103562158
https://vimeo.com/107375283
http://vimeo.com/106934309
Panasonic promo video, shot in UHD (please watch at your monitor's highest resolution):
http://youtu.be/lm3ULX-v04A
If you can live with this camera's lack of a headphone jack and DSLR-like 30 minute continuous recording limit, this is a great little UHD camera.
Your other options are 1080p HD cameras with interchangeable lenses such as this
used Panasonic GH3 with the 12-35mm f2.8 lens for £1004.42 from Amazon Warehouse Deals (or
£599 body-only via eBay UK).
I own this camera and have shot with the 12-35mm constant f2.8 lens and they are made for each other.
Here is what this camera and lens can do:
http://vimeo.com/64976792
http://vimeo.com/91393365
This camera has a headphone jack, but is also limited to 30 minutes of continuous recording in the EU (which, sadly, includes cameras sold in the UK).
If you want the most gradeable, highest dynamic range video possible below £1000, you may want to consider the
£692 (body only) Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera.
This camera lacks the fast autofocus , battery life and bright electronic viewfinders of the 8-bit cameras listed above - but, unlike those cameras, the BMPCC can record 1080p at 12-bit RAW or 10-bit ProRes with up to 13 stops of dynamic range, giving you results like this:
NARRATIVE:
http://vimeo.com/101576471
http://vimeo.com/83904909
http://vimeo.com/89563847
MUSIC VIDEO:
http://vimeo.com/88103618
DOCUMENTARY:
http://vimeo.com/83284391
I own this camera as well - and, although it can be frustrating to use, the image quality is stunning.
Bottom line - the FZ1000 is an easy to use, camcorder-like superzoom with ultra high definition resolution. The GH3 is a capable interchangeable lens camera with a headphone jack and high 8-bit image quality. The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera is a lot of work, but produces great images.
I did not mention the 1080p Panasonic G6 (
£469 with the 14-42mm kit lens as of this post), but if you want to save some money, this camera will give you 8-bit image quality similar to the GH3 - but lacks a headphone jack and the GH3's all-metal splashproof body. Here is what this camera can do:
Music Video:
http://vimeo.com/88584840
http://vimeo.com/84436275
Narrative:
http://vimeo.com/78037118
http://vimeo.com/81339712
Documentary:
http://vimeo.com/97274302
http://vimeo.com/73561266
http://vimeo.com/87978429
http://vimeo.com/78507820
Slow Motion/Sport:
http://vimeo.com/76503135
Travel Video:
http://vimeo.com/88543042
http://vimeo.com/86145944 (shot with a power zoom lens)
I would avoid DSLRs. None of them are compatible with affordable power zooms and they all have reflex mirrors that are useless for video. These mirrors block the cameras' viewfinders, so you are forced to use the LCD on back of the camera for critical composition and focus. This is OK indoors, but outdoors in bright sunlight, you may not be able to see what you're shooting. Outdoors, most DSLR shooters are forced to buy a "loupe" (otherwise known as an LCD viewfinder) or an even more expensive Electronic Viewfinder (EVF) to see what they are shooting.
To be fair, this is true for the Pocket Cinema Camera as well.
Sony makes a very nice video-capable mirrorless camera with a viewfinder and a power zoom - the
£564.99 A6000, but Sony seems not to want to give shooters a standard 3.5mm mic jack in cameras below £1000, so this camera is a fail.
Hope this is helpful and good luck.
Bill