Re: Need some Info on DV cameras

The Sony EX1 is close to your budget (~$6000) and has 1/2" chips which should give better low light performance (I heard it may be discontinued, so there may be a new improved model soon or you may be able to get remaining stock at a bargain).

Also, you could consider a video DSLR like the Canon 5D mkII... I've been playing with some concert footage shot by a friend recently and low-light crowd shots were impressive to say the least. You can get very fast prime lenses for them which get you close to "see-in-the-dark" territory, and it would be way under your budget. The cameras do have a lot of other compromises though (awkward handling, very narrow focus if you're not used to it, useless onboard audio, etc). All that being said, it's certainly the wave of the future and takes killer stills too.