I just spent hours on my new Janome, which was a Christmas present but which I hadn't used as I was a bit intimidated by it. But I shouldn't have been, it is really straight forward despite all the functions. It is the most wonderful machine out of all the ones I have ever used, even the ones provided at my quilting class years ago. The stitches look great and even, it is fairly quiet, love the speed control and the needle up/down function and you can see whether the bobbin is getting low because there is a clear cover. Don't want to go to bed because I love this machine so much!
Admittedly I have never used a Bernina, but for me the Janome was money very well spent considering it is not a high-end machine.