Yeah: 1) HD vs non-HD. Get the HD if you can. You can higher
  resolution. 2) Most important: Get the best OPTICAL zoom you
  can. Digital zoom is the same as zooming in on a computer: It
  gets pixilated quickly. But optical is.. well, real and natural
  and actually does a for-real zoom. So, my suggestion: HD: Yes
  Optical Zoom: Yes. Extra Digital zoom is fine, but make sure you
  have decent optical zoom first. "