Hi everyone. I've really enjoyed reading all of the posts. Very interesting. Well, like a lot of people I am looking to buy equipment. Please just let me know what you think . I was going to buy a Canon GL2 but now I'm confused. What is everyones recommendation? I am open to all advice. I also was planning on buying a Power Mac G5 and the Final Cut Pro Studio. I have a lot of experience with non-linear editing. I am totally confused when it comes to audio though but after reading all of the posts I think maybe I will go with the iRiver for now and a Giant Squid?? Do I also need a shotgun mike? I have a few weddings lined up for this summer with some friends to help get started and use as promotional tools. I am also going to get into some corporate videos. So I need a good all purpose camera. Thanks so much for your advice!

See this discussion:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?p=428643#post428643

Giant Squid is having a sale untill the end of the month. You probibly want both Irivers and shotgun. If you have no experience with FCP I suggest you spend $25 for a month at lynda.com. Their quicktime tutorials are very very good and you can't beat the price.

Mike

Hey Hilary, we've been filming weddings for over a year now. We've been using the GL-2 and it does a fantastic job for it's price. We've had many compliments on the quality of the video and it's a great camera to use during the entire day, the color is great! The camera does a pretty good job in low lighting as well, sometimes it's difficult to keep the focus in really low lighting, but I think that's a problem that most cameras have. For the price it was worth it.
Consider purchasing a glidecam 2000 though in order to keep your shots steady due to the small size of the camera. This adds a more dynamic look to your videos instead of being stuck on a tripod.


Eric Hansen
E Hansen Productions
www.ehansenproductions.com

A GL2 is an excellent camera. Be sure to get a wide angle adapter as well. Once you put it on the camera you won't want to take it off. I have Canon's highly rated WD-58. There are other after market lenses avail as well. Century Optics makes incredible lenses. I've been pleased with Kenkos as well

As a Mac user I strongly support the use of a G5 and Final Cut. iDVD, which comes with any Mac is an excellent DVD burning application for starters. Just remember to keep screensavers and energy savers to off. Also purchase the key for QuickTime Pro ($29 + tax download at Apple) and buy Toast.

You might consider a GY-DV300U. I purchased one and couldn't be more pleased. The camera/dollar ratio is just outstanding.