+1
++1
Happy,
I can't agree enough with the H4n suggestion. I admit that you have to get past it's looks but it's an amazing piece of gear with a ton of functionality. A four track digital recorder, it provides two XLR/preamp (w/phantom) inputs and also serves as an A/D/A interface to...
Put your wallet away. Whatever you buy now you'll probably regret sooner then later.
Start here and continue asking questions. You'll get a lot of dumb responses that you won't be able to tell from smart responses until you do a lot more reading.
If you just want to get started recording...
Think about it... what control do you have over any given sound? Not much. You can determine how loud it is, and whether it comes out of the left speaker, or the right speaker. That's mixing. It's not a science, there is no formula.
If you have an enthusiastic drummer and a soft spoken...
There are so many deeply held beliefs on this board that sometimes I feel like I'm in a Bible study.
What's the best microphone for female vocals? What's the best microphone for Hip Hop? (hint: any USB mic will do), what's the best preamp, who has the best converters, the best monitors, the...
My employer subsidizes Apple products and I love their ergonomics, design, and superior operating system. But do I love those attributes enough to pay Apple's price premium compared to the exact same performance in the PC domain when it's my money? No.
I had a transfer student from Canada mention these great condensers from a company called Naint or something similar. Supposedly they're manufactured not too far from where I am located. Supposedly they're high quality and low cost though I have no personal experience with them.
As long as you accept the constraints of the form factor (can't upgrade the processor, limited on internal HDD, etc.) and you're not loading up on plugins they should be fine.
I'm actually looking at exactly the same setup using a H4n mounted on a Panasonic GH2. I'm going to be tracking the audio in my excuse-for-a-home-studio and using DualEyes to replace the audio captured by the H4n. Near as I can determine DualEyes doesn't know what quality of camera you used...