Hi, NZD $2500 (?!), wow... I'll have to keep that in mind then.

About the audio --> I've seen microphones on the market and they cost A LOT, which makes me think, I will most likely stay with the provided microphone and just make do with what I have. I do have strict budget concerns, and it looks this way for me:

A much worse consumer level camera (no 3CCDs, not many manual controls, etc.) + good microphone (but no XLR)

OR

The used XL1 with many manual controls, provided microphone (although maybe not the best), no XLR, but provides a good camera to learn on (?)...

I have to keep in mind that I am going to also have to spend some money on upgrading my PC to a level that is capable of editing, so it is most likely I will not be able to afford advanced sound systems right now --> I'm mainly going in for the education factor here.

Used vs. New: New, I can be sure that it works, however, the resale value is bad... I mean, if I get a new NZD $2500 camera now, it is likely that when I do sell it it will go for half of that, whereas if I start with a used camera, I'll be losing less... (?)

Thanks,
Dennis

Edit: Another question, how much does a normal full-camera check-up/service cost at Canon NZ, in $NZD?