1st post on here. I have had a few Sony digital 8 cams, and want to shoot a documentary that I'd like to submit to festivals, and eventually go to dvd etc.....Is the GL2 a very complicated cam? I don't want to spend lots of $$$ on something that will just frustrate me, but want a quality cam. Any help appreciated! thank you. Also www.digitalliquidators.com has the GL2 for $1,259.00 Is this a good place to get one?

I don´t think it´s a complicated cam.. although almost every aspect of it can be controlled manually, if you are a real novice and don´t feel confident enough to go manual, then it´s auto functions will work wonders until you learn more... and if you get this cam.. you will learn more for sure... anyways there is allways this forum... you´ll get a lot of help around here..

If you are going to shoot just 1 documentary... then I wouldn´t buy this cam.. I´d try to borrow.. or get a less expensive one... But if you plan on doing more, then it´s a good camera for a serious start...

For me (I own one XM-2 the PAL Version) it´s definetely one of the best price-value relation out there...

About the digitalliquidators.. I can´t help you.. But It sure is a real WAY TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE price.. So If I were you I would check this store for any catchs...

Don't trust that site. I was interested in their low price on the VX2000, so I did a little research, and came up with the following quotes from sites that rate online stores.

"These guys won't sell anything at their advertised prices. Run, don't walk! If it seems to good to be true... HUGE waste of time. "

"horrible experience a bunch of scammers. dont even waste your time and money on this site. if you think the deals are too good to be true then you are right. they will force you to buy accessories"

"Stay away from them as consistently advised by others here. Thanks to this board, I was able to cancel my order without much problems, yet what a waste of time!!"

Search for "digitalliquidators review" or "digitalliquidators opinion" on google, and you'll see what I mean.

The GL2, as well as almost any 3-chipper are excellent cams. The truth is that these cams manual modes gives them their superior performance.

One good piece of advice I have read is to attend some photography classes. In those classes you will learn the basics of exposure, lighting, and shot composition. Armed with those skills you can do some more reading, etc. and make the transition to motion.

Shoot, read, and watch lots and you will be amazed what you have learned.

I don't think its a good place:

http://electronics.bizrate.com/ratings_guide/cust_reviews__cat_id--11140000,mid--31428,prod_id--5006980,rf--wgg.html

Check canondv.com to see if it's an authorized dealer.
That place doesn't even put a mailing address in the web site, always a BAD sign.

Regarding "digitalliquidators" check out the following thread: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?s=&threadid=11696&highlight=digitalliquidators
Avoid it like the plague.

By using the auto functions you can still accomplish an outstanding video, thanks to the 3 CCDs. You'll be amazed at the picture quality in comparison to your digital 8 cams. Although when using the auto functions be careful of the auto focus as it may give you a blurry image at times. Run a search on using the manual focus to give you some ideas on how to use it. Once you get comfortable with the camera you can start playing with its manual features.

As for online camera carriers, the shady ones outnumber the reputable ones. Of course if it sounds too good to be true, it is. Check out the DVi sponsors, as they are proven to be safe. You will still save money going through them than going to a brick and mortar electronics store. If you ever question a site's reputation, there are a few online resources that rate and provide customer feedback on the business. I've used bizrate.com and eopinions.com. Good luck and enjoy your GL2.

As far as buying goes, the plug goes in for DVinfo sponsors. These are vendors who know their products and can help you out if you have problems. Not only that they support this board.

If bottom dollar is your only concern, there are a number of places you can go, but be very wary. Companies that are way below the average price may be less than honest. That doesn't mean they are, but the odds are against you.

While you are thinking about this, take Dylan Couper's short course How Not To Get Scammed on Ebay (http://www.dvinfo.net/articles/buyersguide/ebay.php). Its well worth the read.

I tend to agree with everyone else.
The GL2 is a great camera to learn on. For starting out there are the auto options - the camera controls pretty much everything. After you get more comfortable you can move to different variations of manual adjusting. Tv mode allows you to adjust the shutter speed, yet aperture and gain are still full auto so you don't have to worry about them. Av mode lets you adjust the aperture while the shutter and gain are automatic. You may even play around with the white balance and develope a taste for color correction (which is very interesting to me). The GL2 provides a very comfortable progression from one stage to the next. Each time, understanding more about the camcorders functions and how they influence your video. Then, after you get familiar with those, you can take the jump to Manual mode and control everything yourself. The more control you have, the better you can express your creativity through the screen. I love it.
Honestly, you can look at the GL2 as an easy camcorder. It is. But I tend to view it more along the lines of a great teaching tool.