Buying a video camera, any suggestions?

[Tomday]

My budget is around 500-700$ I a semi-pro film-maker who loves to make movies, and I am looking to buy a camera that can really do the job well with the budget provided. I have looked many places, but its hard to find the type of camera that is good for someone like me, as most cameras for this price are cameras for family events etc. I am really looking for a camera that takes good (enough) quality video without breaking the budget I have set. So if anyone has any suggestions on what to get, I would be more than happy to hear them.

[Soopafresh]

$500-$700 isn't going to cut it if you want anything better than a "family events" camcorder. $800 is the absolute barebones minimum.

Canon 550D/T2I fits the $800 bill but it isn't an automatic camcorder. You have to do the focusing, determine the proper aperture, ISO, shutter speed. You have to set up the shots, just as you would if you had a film camera. You also need a fast computer to edit the footage. That said, the film-like results can be pretty impressive if you really learn how to use the thing.

http://vimeo.com/groups/eos550d/videos

The cheaper option is the Canon HV20, HV30, or HV40. Great camcorders, I have the HV30. They have limitations (as does any camcorder). You can't attach a different lens, your depth of field is long, you really can't override the camera automatic controls. The MPEG2 footage is a bit easier to edit, you don't need as much PC horsepower.

http://vimeo.com/groups/Canon/videos/page:2/sort:newest