Listmania!
Shoot Documentaries on the cheap
By an Amazon.com customer
Canon XL2 3CCD MiniDV Camcorder w/20x Optical ZoomCanon XL2 3CCD MiniDV Camcorder w/20x Optical Zoom
Buy new: $3,625.00 / Used from: $1,900.00
A great camera! A little older, and only Standard definition, but it still works great. Shoots 24p, has built in XLR ports, shoots native 16:9, just about as good as they come.
Canon GL2 MiniDV Digital Camcorder w/20x Optical ZoomCanon GL2 MiniDV Digital Camcorder w/20x Optical Zoom
Buy new: $2,129.00 / Used from: $990.00
Little brother to the XL2, it lacks a few of the XL's features. It only shoots 4:3, and only shoots 30p and 60i, however all that can be remedied in post. Basically, you've got a slightly less quality XL2 made portable.
Apple MacBook Pro MA610LL/A 15" Laptop (2.33 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo,  2 GB RAM, 120 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD SuperDrive)Apple MacBook Pro MA610LL/A 15" Laptop (2.33 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2 GB RAM, 120 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD SuperDrive)
Buy used from: $1,375.00
Since you're working in SD, you won't need the raw power of the Mac Pro, also, the MBP will offer portability, so you can make edits and rough cuts in the field
Apple Cinema 23-inch HD Flat-Panel DisplayApple Cinema 23-inch HD Flat-Panel Display
Buy used from: $480.00
Honestly, you didn't really think you'd be able to make good edits on a 15 inch screen? Don't bother with the 30 incher, you don't need it.
Apple Final Cut Studio 2 Upgrade from Final Cut Pro (Mac)Apple Final Cut Studio 2 Upgrade from Final Cut Pro (Mac)
Buy used from: $539.99
But it from Apple's education store, the non -upgrade version sells for the same price there.