Either way, you probably cant go wrong with a Panny. my HVX202 is infinitely better than the Sony counterpart at the prosumer HD level. my experiences with the Panasonic handycam i mentioned was also very good.
however, i must say that i don't think the brand would really matter at your budget. if you can't find a Panasonic at that price but can get a Sony, by all means go for it. i'm assuming it's only for casual use.
just make sure it's miniDV and not DVD.
on a slightly related note, does anyone have a recommendation for a good HD handycam?