You can buy Firewire PCI cards very cheaply they will fit into a standard PCI slot on any PC here is an example
http://www.cclonline.com/product-info.asp?product_id=37455&tid=gsearch
You will need to take the case off the Dell to access the PCI slots - normally coloured white and remove a blanking plate to allow the card to slot in. Reboot and the card will automatically be detected
You would then need a 4-6pin firewire cable to connect the camcorder

They are same model Canon Legria HV40 use in Europe & Asia
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001P30CYU?ie=UTF8&tag=...
while Vixia HV40 use in US
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001OI2Z4Q?ie=UTF8&tag=...

3CCDs and miniDV tape and HDV...

Not the Sony HVR-HD1000U or HVR-A1U - single CMOS. Not the HDR-FX7 or HDR-FX1000 - 3CMOS. Nothing until you hit the HVR Z1U.
Nothing from Canon until you jump to the XHA1.
Nothing from Panasonic until you hit the AG-HVX200 - even then, high definition to P2 cards (DV to tape).
Nothing from JVC until you hit the GY-HM series. And they are flash memory.

Nothing handheld. Nothing "consumer grade".

Yes - but not with a "dumb" drive like you would use with a computer and you don't use the HDMI connection.
Focus Enhancements makes external drives that connect using firewire (the HV40's DV port). The FS-4 HD1 and FS-4Pro HD. They work great, they are small, the require their own power supply - they are not cheap.

some web stores has waterproof housings - but you don't need one rated to go in deep water - check the rain jackets from Ewa-Marine or the "Rain Slicker" covers like the pros use from PortaBrace.

Sort of... and feature differences, too.
All are miniDV tape based, consumer grade camcordes that can record DV, DV widescreen and HDV format video to the tape - they can also take stills and store them to a memory card.
The HV20 came first... the HV30 added 24p capbilities and the HV40 built on that. All three have manual audio control. The lenses and imaging chips evolved a little. Form-factor changed a little.

There is no "single mic" that will meet all your requirements. Sometimes you need a stereo mic. Sometimes you need one or more wireless lavalieres. Sometimes you need a shotgun mic.
I own and use:
Audio Technica AT-825 stereo condenser
Shure SM58 handhelds
NRG Research SA-568 switchable
Sennheiser EW100 G2 wireless lavs
Because your camcorder has only a single stereo 1/8" (3.5mm) audio-in jack and good mics typically use XLR connectors, you will also need a XLR adapter. I suggest investigating juicedLink and BeachTek.
Go cheap and don't expect "good enough" results.

Excellent camera, that Canon series has been very successful and the hv40 seems to make a number of great improvements. It's also been well reviewed. I don't think you can do much better for your money.

I try to find the best place for you to buy a Canon hv40.
I can be described as an enthusiastic, or even compulsive, photographer and videographer. I always travel with a camera and a camcorder in tow, and run through multiple cassettes and GBs of photographs (I shoot in RAW mode) each month. [What I may lack in aptitude, I make up for in volume.]
I've owned an HV20 for over 2 years now, and I am still absolutely enthralled by its performance. What can I say, its one of the few camcorders that has an entire web site and an active community built around it.
Canon realized that they had a winner on their hands with the exceptional HV20, and rather than messing with a winning formula, they smartly decided to simply provide relatively minor upgrades with the HV30 and now, the HV40. What this means is that if you are considering this camcorder, then the professional reviews for both the HV20 and the HV30 will apply just as well.
[One theory is that the HV20 was made so well that Canon could not improve it without cannibalizing the sales of it's professional models.]
The image quality with this camcorder is excellent, the sound quality is fair to decent, and the power user features are plentiful (such as audio input levels and aperture control). Note that there are tips online that walk you through the process of unlocking the full range of aperture control with this camcorder.
Therefore, in my opinion, this camcorder is truly at the pinnacle of "convenience" and "performance"; while not quite qualifying for the top of the "innovation" food chain. For me, the first two characteristics far outweigh the third, placing it squarely at 5 stars ("I Love It!").

Canon HV40 is a fantastic camera to get.The only concern is if you have a mac, go ahead and buy a firewire cable with this camera

Great price for this camera and accessories: https://fumfie.com/pshow/?id=118.8

SD cards are easy to find. We don't know where you are and we don't know if you don't want to sh using the internet. For example, check this link, there is camera and accessories: https://fumfie.com/pshow/?id=118.8
You do understand that the HV40 uses miniDV tape for video and the SD card is for still photos, only, right?
Download and read the manual: http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct...
See page 12 for the modes when recording or playing back. No video to the memory card.

Read the camcorder's manual.

SD card for stills only. MiniDV tape for high definition (and standard definition) digital video.

miniDV tape: Connect the camcorder's DV port (not USB) to the computer's firewire port (not USB). If your video editor can deal with HDV format video, launch it and click "Import". Sounds pretty simple to me. (MovieMaker cannot handle HDV format video - Sony Vegas and Adobe Premiere always float to the top). Lock the tape - it is your archive for later use.

USB won't work and USB-to-firewire cable/adapter/converter things won't work. If your computer has no firewire port, hopefully it has an available expansion slot so you can add one.

IF your camcorder could record video to the SD card - which it cannot: Connect the camcorder's USB port to the computer's USB port (this is what you do to get the stills over, though). Copy the video files from the camcorder to the computer. Convert the video to a format the video editor can deal with, copy the video to a bunch of DVDs - this is your "archive" in case something happens to the video or computer while you are editing.

In my book, miniDV tape is WAY easier. HDV is much less compressed (so better ptential video quality), the built-in "archive mechanism" skips a step that the flash memory requires and miniDV tape is cheap storage compared to other methods...

HV40 can capture directly in 24p mode which means it can capture 24 progressive frames per second.It has a 2.96 megapixel HD CMOS Image Sensor.Uses miniSD Memory Card . I think you should go with HV40 within your budget

Canon HV40 is similar to the HV30, but supports 24p native mode
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001OI2Z4Q?ie=UTF8&tag=...

1. First press the focus button on the side next to the focus dial.
2. MF will appear on the LCD screen. Top of screen near center.
3. Once MF appears, adjust focus with the focus dial.

Capture Via Firewire (sorry had to ask) does the captured video play in Windows Media player, try it, or any other player.
Just as a test capture (well try) windows movie maker, just to rule out SVegas. if its alright then its your software delete it and reload. Check for updates.
If you can try your camera on another computer!

Well most of your hd video cameras come with there own software that is like a VOB/MOB file Extension and this is only compatible with the SOFTWARE that comes with the camera. Once you dump footage into software THEN YOU MUST CONVERT THE FOOTAGE TO A FILE EXTENSION THAT THE OUTSIDE EDIT SOFTWARE WILL RECOGNIZE such as AVI, MPEG 1 AND 2 OR QUICK TIME. It is no doubt a pain that you must in dour.

I use the regular, inexpensive, Sony Premium tapes in the blue wrapper - DVC - with the miniDV logo on them.
I never re-use a tape.
In 5 years of recording HDV format video, I have never had a dropped frame and never had a tape jam. I have used a head cleaner tape twice on my Sony HDR-HC1. I have over 500 hours of captured video and the HC1 is still going great.
When the camcorder is in HDV mode, you must record in SP. Even if you are in DV or DV widescreen, using LP mode is not recommended. So don't even worry about it. Just carry blank tapes.

The HV30 is excellent, but the HV40 also has other new features like the 'custom key' which allows you to set custom functions like focus, exposure etc. As Canon are fazing the HV30 out and are consequently harder to find, you'll mostly find the HV30 is similarily priced (my experience in the UK)

There is such a thing as a data mover, but they suck. Massive amounts of data can cause it to turn off and fail.
I use an external hard drive. Go from on PC, onto the external. Then from the external to the new PC.
Takes some time, but it works good.

This is "Canon HV40" manual.
(Drivers & Downloads - Guides and Manuals - hv40-nim-en.pdf)
http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&tabact=...
[Adjusting the Volume : Speaker and Headphones} : page 32 ~ 33
If you can't open PDF file, please look over the next image of manual.
http://photos.yahoo.co.jp/ph/yands3377/vwp?.dir=/35b3&.dnm=f454.jpg&.src=ph&.view=t&.hires=t

Whoever said you won't wait on downloads from an HDD is uninformed. Your edit program needs to have the file on the computer so that it can work with DMA access to data which is 100 times faster than attempting to use the camcorder as a virtual memory with USB. So moving an hour's worth of HD data files by USB to the computer is still going to take about an hour. In fact it may even be slower than ieee 1394 streaming transfer.

HDD offers longer continuous recording, as HDV tapes only run an hour, this could be important if you video events like church services. AVCHD is more compressed, even in its latest version than HDV. More theatrical "films" have been shot successfully in HDV than AVCHD. Sony is the developer of AVCHD so if you go that route, you are pretty much limited to using Vegas as the editor.

The formats are not that different as for their to be a clear "winner". I would say that getting a camera that offers a good lens, and professional shooting options to be your first consideration.

A firewire cable to connect the camcorder's DV port to the computer's USB port.
USB won't work. USB-to-firewire cable/converter/adapter/hub things won't work.
You did not tell us what computer hardware you are using so we have no way to know if it has a firewire port.
You did not tell us what video editor you are using to import the video so we don't know if it is capable of dealing with HDV format video.

I understand the $20 price looks really inviting - but I would not recommend it. There can be too much stress put on that 1/8" plug going into the camera - when it breaks, you will be stuck.

There are several reasons companies like juicedLink and BeachTek make - and sell a lot of - XLR adapters. They mount to the bottom of the camera and the mic gain controls are much easier to use than the camcorder's built-in manual audio control.

I own/use both the juicedLink CX231 and BeachTek DXA-6 with my Sony HDR-HC1 and HDR-FX1... and recommend both XLR adapters for use with any good, pro-grade, XLR connector based mic.

The HV30 and HV40 are both good - but be careful in low light. They are consumer grade small lenses and imaging chips and the video will get grainy if there is not enough light. Under good lighting conditions, they will provide you with awesome video.

Yes, if you use a shotgun mic, a boom - and shockmount like the Sabra SSM-1 - is recommended. The other item you will want is a "softie" or Fuzzy or "dead cat" or "zeppelin". Rykote makes good ones - you may be able to make your own if you find the material. When you shoot video outdoors, you need a windscreen - and the foam windscreens are not enough.

Of the choices you gave us, I like the Audio Technica AT-897. The RODE NTG-2 is good, too. If the mic is to stay mounted on the camcorder, the RODE vido mic is good - you already know that is not how you want to always position the mic.

You will also need a couple of 25 foot XLR mic extension cables...