What is the best camcorder for a mac?

Hello everyone,
I am a total newbie in terms of imovie and video recording. I am also just got this macbook recently and, oh my, I wish I would have gotten a macbook many years sooner
So my question is: what camcorder is easy to use with a macbook from your experience? Something that is not very large in size (I am a petite girl), that can produce a video in a format that is easy to edit, with decent quality (maybe even HD), no tapes, either flash or hard drive memory. I would need a device that could work well outside, in sunny and windy areas (like a beach) as well as in low light situations such at dusk or artificial lighting outside. I going to work at a marine biology lab in a few months so I want to record my adventures.
A big plus would be if it's also sturdy...I snowboard in my spare time and there is a lot of material I'd like to catch on tape i.e. my friend plowing face down into a pile of snow
Thanks a bunch,
-naz

"there is a lot of material I'd like to catch on tape"
You see, subconsciously you know that a miniDV tape cam would be your best choice, but if your new MacBook doesn't have a Firewire port, that option is not available to you.
Look at cams by Sony and Panasonic. Most of them are compatible with iMovie 08 (and most likely iMovie 09 too). Check this list to find models that work : http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1014
Then go to this review site: http://www.camcorderinfo.com/ to see what they have to say about particular cams, with attention to the way they perform in the situations you will have, eg. low light. No consumer cam will give you satisfactory audio on a windy beach, unless you buy one that can be fitted with an external microphone.

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