im looking to pickup a cheap minidv camcorder to mainly use as a 'deck' for avid xpress pro 5.7 on an intel mac pro. any partucular cameras work better than others? any specific brand is the best for avid? the camera function is a null point as i rent pro cameras for acual work, i just want something i can use to capture, print, and output to a tv. let me know thanks -Matt

As long as you are using mini-dv you shouldn't have an issue no matter what camera you use for your deck. Because this is a standardized format, there shouldn't be any issue in capturing. I've been using a low-grade JVC camcorder for a few years and its worked fine.

The only way you'd be running into issues with camcorders is if you use one of those DVD cameras or Hard drive cameras. Now those have a lot of issues....

Try this link to the list of Supported Devices.  It has some notes about what works and doesn't on different decks.  Note: some formats are not supported, like Canon's 24F, so check to make sure you can load what you shoot regardless of the deck.