Soon I will head up to Green Bay and check out a dealer that sells DV equipment from Canon, Panasonic, Sony etc. I've been reading around here and it seems the Canon XL line is pretty popular and well recieved, and is one line I am interested in and looking forward to seeing.

My question for you is, what might you recommend I do and ask about, as I am new to all this and just doing my research. I don't plan on making a purchase for at least a few years, but I would like to get a hands-on grasp of this stuff. You think they might let me do some test recording for a fee?

Thanks.

It really depends on the dealer. Many won't let you run a tape, especially smaller places since they won't have a demo model and won't want to sell a camera that's been used.

If you aren't purchasing for a few years then realize that things could change considerably. Also, if the dealer realizes you're just "window shopping" they may be less inclined to spend a lot of time with you. OTOH, a big place like B&H Photo in New York has a "shooting gallery" as a permanent display where you can play with all the cameras and compare them. Some of them are a little the worse for wear because of this however :-)

So you'll just have to play it by ear I think. If you see something you really like you might consider renting it, either from that place or another company that handles rentals. That would give you a much better feel for what the camera is capable of.

Happy shopping!

Yeah that's the funny thing, I got caught up in the research and forgot - hey, I'm not making a purchase for a few years - by then camera whatever won't even be in production. Ah still worth a see though.