First, any camcorder can take great video if the video capture environment is within the range of the camcorder's capabilities. Outside, good sunlight, is within pretty much any camcorder's capabilities. Video could be a challenge, but we don't know your requirements for that and the "outdoor events".
I need to buy a HD video camera for the church I work at.
We'll use it mainly to record meetings & services but also some outdoor events. It would be awesome if the video quality was decent enough to make a documentary with eventually, but that may just be a pipe dream.
We have a mini DV cam that's about 4 years old and honestly I'm just sick of the time it takes to convert the tapes and would greatly prefer something that records directly to a hard drive or digital card or stick or something that I can easily edit with my iMac.
My budget is around $1200.
Any suggestions?

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