Thanks for all the great advice everyone. I will do some more research on all the accessories like lighting, tripods and mics. I found this camera that seems like a decent choice for a beginner at my budget and has a lot of great reviews.
Canon XA10 HD
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/749467-REG/Canon_4922B002_XA10_HD_Professional_Camcorder.html
Any opinions on this one? It's not that big a deal to upgrade accessories down the road if needed but I really don't want to have to do that with the camera. I know it's not the best camera out there but it seems like it will do what I need as I'm not doing any high end production stuff.
