I know this is slightly off topic, but I wanted to post it here because this particular forum (not the XL1 forum) is where I got most of the information that led to my eventual decision.

I'd like to extend a very warm thank you to all the contributors to this forum for your advice (direct and indirect - I've read a lot more of the threads here than I've contributed back to) and knowledge. I am now the proud owner of a used XL1, with a boatload of cool accessories (14x manual lens, 3x wide angle lens, B&W viewfinder, many filters, a tripod, extra batteries, a very nice hard case, and more).

I post this here instead of the XL1 forum because it was really this forum that convinced me that a used XL1 was good enough for my purposes - and fit my budget *MUCH* better than an XL2, as much as I'd have liked to have the newer camera. I managed to get this entire kit for substantially less than just the stock camera XL2 would have cost, and I'm much happier with this decision because I could never have afforded all of these extras on top of the XL2.

Many thanks to everybody for sharing knowledge about these camcorders, and also special thanks to those who shared knowledge about how to not get scammed on EBay - which, thanks to you, I can proudly say I didn't. Also, special thanks to Lauri for posting the XL1/2 lens comparison tests. They were extremely helpful.

Now all I've got to do is go make use of all this stuff, get a few videos done, and make some money so that I can afford/justify upgrading to an XL2 sometime next year. ;)

Many thanks, Russell. DV Info Net is only as good as its members -- and we've managed to attract the best core of online members you could want on a message board. Your comments are a reflection of the quality of people who post here. On behalf of all of them, your kind remarks are very much appreciated!