I am looking for something not to expensive but not necesarily cheap. I am planning on doing a lot of video projects over the next year and want to use the best possible video recorder that will give me that High Definition resolution and is not to big and bulky. I will be getting my iMac in a few months with Final Cut Express 4 pre-installed. Also, I want a video camera not to complicated to use.
Best available video quality will come from the video captured with the least amount of compression. Currently, that means HDV - which is stored on miniDV tape (or external FireStore hard drives from Focus Enhancements connected using firewire to miniDV tape based camcorders).
Video is part of the equation. Audio is very important, too. If you are not using an external audio capture device (like the field recorders from M-Audio, Zoom, Edirol, Tascam - among many others), then you need a camcorder with a mic jack and manual audio control.
The least expensive DV/HDV camcorders with a mic jack and manual audio control are the Canon HV30 and Sony HDR-HC9. They will connect to your new iMac with a 4-pin to 6-pin firewire cable if you use the iMac's Firewire 400 ports... or a 4-pin to 9-pin firewire cable if you use the iMac's firewire 800 port. Both will work great with your iMac with either iMovieHD or FinalCut.
Both camcorders are also relatively small, however, you should make every effort to not capture video when the camcorder is handheld. Use some sort of stabilizer - tripod, SpiderBrace, steadicam/glidecam system, camera crane... even a chair or table... but not handheld.
As consumer-grade camcorders, their low-light behavior is not very good. The lenses and imaging chips are too small. However, they are much better than less expensive camcorders. Turn on the lights. Learn to use the white balance feature. Use the "Indoor" preset when you are shooting indoors.
All camcorders have "automatic" capabilities. This is a good place to start. As you learn to use your camcorder, you will want the manual settings because they will give you a lot more flexibility.
You do not have to use special "HD" tapes. Sony Premium tapes are around $3 each and can hold 60 minutes of DV or 60 minutes of HDV format video. Do not re-use tapes. They are the long-term archive. Store them in a cool, dry place.
Do not mix DV and HDV on one tape.
Pick a tape manufacturer and stick with it for the life of the camcorder.
Get a head cleaning tape.
Get one (or two) optional rechargeable, high capacity batteries.
Consider a wide angle and tele lens for shot flexibility (Consumer HDV camcorders typically do not have high zoom like standard definition-only camcorders have).
Get a sturdy case (like those from Pelican or SKB) - they will help protect your investment and keep all your stuff together.
Your next investigation activity will be microphones.
Since you seem a bit serious on this, I can't recommend any consumer flash memory camcorders because while they may have a mic jack, they do not have manual audio control (Canon HF10, HF11, HF100; Sony HDR-CX12). On top of that, anemic AVCHD just compresses way too much as a first step of the capture process.
Video compression = discarded video data = reduced video quality
Consumer hard disc drive (HDD) camcorders have known problems with vibration and high altitude (resulting in not recording video to the hard drive - and a "buffer overflow" error message) and no longer get to my short list because of these issues.
Consumer DVD based camcorders barely make useful doorstops.
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