My dad's been asking me to find him a good prosumer camera(not sure why, as he hardly uses the Handycam we have) and I figured this would be good for me, as I'll be able to use this camera when the need arose.

So my question what are the best DV cameras I can find with a budget of $3,500?

He'll be using them to film birthday parties, weddings, sermons and ceremonies, and I'll be using them in full on film production, generally on location so it needs to be somewhat portable.

I've never had more than a Handycam, so I don't know what I'll need technology-wise, as I've generally been a point-and-shoot kind of guy.

wow 3,500 can get you nice camera... have a look at the panasonic hvx range...

Sorry, I mis-typed. $2,500 is what he's looking to spend, with $3k being the highest he'd even entertain paying.

that can still get you a decent enough camera probably not enough for a hd but have you thought about panasonic dvx so?

Panasonic HMC150. Best camera in that price range. You can find it on Amazon for $3,200. Might be a little out of his price range but for the extra couple hundred it is definitely worth it.