I went to school for video and film.

Knowing some key features of what makes a camera good is a bit more useful than just saying “hey get this camera”.

Look for a camera that feels good too you. Something not to heavy because your probably not going to use a tripod. Something with easy buttons because its going to be dark mostly. If you can get one that will rest on your shoulder. This will prevent to much shaking and will give your arm a break.

“Chips” in a camera determine the overall quality of the video. The more chips the better the quality will be because it can produce more lines of resolution. 3 chips or more is best but if all you can afford is 1 chip that’s ok too. You can find out how many it has by reading the small print on the box or buy calling the manufacturer.

Sound. This is something that will be difficult because on most home cameras they put a “condenser mic” which is good for picking up everything. Mostly random noises, they are actually not super good at picking up vocals unless your close too it OR its a condenser mic designed to pick up vocals. So your going to want a camera with a “mic input jack”. This way you can get the mic you need and use that instead. You’ll find that using the mic on the camera most of the bass will be gone and there will be allot of noise distortion and interference. Get a Boom Mic. They are good at picking up sounds from far away and very accurately.

Storage of your media. Well the hard drive cameras are good because there is no tapes to deal with. The problem is that’s the problem. Tapes can be switched out when you run out of tape where hard drives can’t and if you can they are more expensive than tapes.
Also tapes are less likely to get digital distortion in hectic environments.

One last thing. Find a way to pad your camera and protect the lens if your going to be in hectic areas. I’ve seen little clear plastic lens covers before and there are some pads you can get for a camera, just in case it gets dropped.