I like the Panasonic AG-DV2000. Many people like the Sony DSR-11 (or other DSR series models).

A deck is for people who shoot hundreds of hours on their cameras. If you don't shoot that much, then it might be better to use a cheap camcorder as a deck. If you don't shoot much at all, then you should be fine with using your GL2 as a deck.

I am just starting out so perhaps a deck would be overkill for me.

A cheap camera it is...I suppose I just have to make sure that it provides pass- through capabilites.

Pass- through is pass- through right? Even on cheap cameras? I may not be a full time pro, but accurate monitoring is a must for my projects.

You may also want to look at a device such as the Canopus ADVC-100

The Canopus looks ideal. I noticed that there is an external version. I was thinking that maybe I would prefer that as it would be easier to swap between devices.

Do you guys think that there are any advantages to an internal adapter as opposed to an external one?

Personally, I would probably opt for an external version and hook it up to my standarad firewire card. You could then easily move it between different computers as needed. Plus you would have easier access to plug and unplug wires.