I use the canon XL2 exclusively on my work and am quite fond of the canon video products.
i think you could get a GL1 for about 5-1000 used...a new GL2 would run you about 2200.
they're great cameras though. I don't know much about consumer type cameras though...
we had this little cheapie canon mini dv that the quality on was pretty poor.
i would highly suggest going with mini dv though. it's the most popular format
out there....which means you'll have no trouble finding tapes at reasonable prices.
(the cheapest i've seen is 2.99 per tape)
one thing...if you choose a mini dv camera, purchase one tape brand and stick with it.
different brands use different lubrications on their tapes and if you swtich
around a lot you'll land yourself with some tapes that have digital dropouts later.
just an fyi..if someone can learn from my mistakes....