Most of my filming involves outdoor subjects with equestrian events being the focus. I use (and love) the Sony HDR-FX1. I’ve used it for more than a year is some very demanding conditions. It’s gone through rain, wind, lots of dust and dirt, and just keeps on going. I’ve also used it a great deal in indoor arenas and have been very satisfied with its performance there, as well. Color reproductions and low light handling is superb. All-in-all a great camera.
As far as editing, I’ve been using Ulead’s VideoStudio Plus with great results. It’s extremely inexpensive and does most of the things the high dollar NLE’s do. It’s a good starting point, anyway. Very intuitive. The next step up, at least it was for me, is the Sony Vegas Pro 8. Again, very intuitive and powerful tool. And for the price it’s a great post production time saver.
Hope that helps! Good luck!
