I've used both. The GL2's CCD's are higher in resolution than those of the GL1, so the images from it are just a bit sharper. Other than that, there's not much difference between the two as far as the imagery itself goes. The footage from each of the two cams matches up extremely well. I shot a short using these two cameras once, and the difference was pretty negligible. The GL2 gives you MUCH better control over audio and features several other design improvements and handy features, but that's somewhat a different story.

If the picture quality is the same as my XL1, I would be very happy. I've done some research and alot of people say it's very comparable as far as picture quality. If I get an external mic, would that help quite a bit?

You're talking about the GL1, right? If so, then yes, it's very similar to what you can get from the XL1. The chips in the two cameras are about the same in resolution (though the XL1's are bigger), and both handle color reproduction the same way (i.e. shifted toward the red a bit).

As for external mics, well, that never hurts. :) Just be aware that the GL1's biggest drawbacks are that there are no audio meters, and that you have no real manual control over audio levels. If you're shooting b-roll for the XL1, then just use the audio from that camera. If you'll be using the GL1 alone at times, then you can still get good audio from it... it's just that you have almost no manual control over it and have to trust the camera to a large extent.

my gl-1 is much better then my xl-1 in low light. (original xl-1).

I found the GL1 and GL2 to be about the same for my purposes, with the GL2 being slightly different in how it handles colors. Then I got my hands on a Sony FX1 and decided I liked that much better than the Canons, which have both been sold.

Sometimes you can find the remotes on ebay or maybe here on the board (like i did). I guess a lot of people don't use them. I also found a website that sells remotes new and they have the GL1 remote:
http://www.remotes.com/remotes/servl...d_pn=CANON_GL1


I think that $850 is definately a decent price as long as all the buttons work, firewire, etc.

Wowza...a Gl1
 

The thing is (for me) with the XL1 you get some phenominal looking video if you set you camera to the right setting (Frame Movie Mode, F-Stop Setting, Full Manual Mode, White Balance, Corect Shutter Speeds ect....)
Before i bought my XL1 a little while back (About a month ago) i was looking into a Gl1 or Gl2...i searched for some video produced by these cameras on Video.Google.Com and what i found was that some people just dont know what they're doing (i think this is linked to White Balance..totally and completely). The GL1 video looked horid! The video shot on a Gl2 looked good and some bad on others...same with the XL1 video.

My Point is...It's better than a 1-Chip camera but not worth the money alot of people are trying to get off of it on eBay. If you know how to use the setting to thier fullest you can get any camera to produce "Good" looking video....you just have to know what you're doing.