hello all. hopefully by april, i will have enough money to get a canon xl2, and i am looking into seeing what is good in the audio department. i am kind of a n00b at sound, so if anyone could please give me info or links on what is the best equipmet, technique, and way of going about recording great audio for a film, it would be much appreciated. thanks!

I use an Azden SGM-1x shotgun microphone. It cost about $150 and it was definately worth it. If you're using an XL2 it can be upgraded to XLR inputs which virtually all professional mics use, including the one I mentioned. You can still use it with 1/8" if you have the right adaptor.