Ava, this forum is not where you will find help on cameras for prosumers and consumers. This forum are all about products at the professional level and way beyond your budget. But let me try to help and give you a good option for the budget at hand. There are professionals who actually shoot video with Camcorders and DSLRs, yours truly included. It depends what it is you are doing. Many here can attest to the Panasonic GH4 as a good option. But that still is outside your budget. The Canon 5D is a good video option too. But again they are outside your budget. Don't despair. There are many options if you want to go the DSLR route which allows for interchangeable lens compared to a camcorder, and have a bigger sensor and more functionality. Let me suggest three cameras that are within your budget and I think you will be very happy with.
1. Panasonic G7 - This is the GH4 baby brother. It's 4K UHD too and a very good camera. I use it so many times to shoot inserts and Web video content. Check it out here -
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... micro.html2. Canon EOS T5i - This is a hardy camera that shoots great HD video and many hacks from Magic Lattern that gives it some cinematic options. Check it out here -
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... 18_55.html3. Sony A6000 - Another option for HD video. Check it out here -
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... gital.htmlThis all comes with kit lens to get you started. I bought the G7 for my son. He shot an entire short movie with it and his video won a place at a local film festival last year. He continues to shoot with it for his YouTube channel with hundreds of thousands views to date.
I hope this helps you in your journey to cinematography. When you're budget allows for a larger purchase, come back here and consider the Blackmagic products by then. But I know you won't regret my suggestions. Best wishes.