In that price range, I'd say definitely go with the FX-1. I've heard nothing but good things about it.

If you're really serious about HD for other than web use, I would consider waiting and spending the extra $ on the recently announced Panasonic HD cam. It will be about $6000, but it offers true HD as opposed to an interlaced/hybrid HD offered by the Sony, and has a number of other really high-end features, including true 24 frame per second mode, which, combined with the software in the camera, makes video mimic the look of film. (The differences are pretty significant on DVD, but would be pretty minor-to-nonexistent on video-for-web.)

If you're shooting primarily for web use, the FX-1 should be a really solid choice, and allows you some obsolescence protection through it's support for HD. I do think that HD will increasingly be in demand from web customers, though probably not before late 2006 or early 2007.