A lot of ladies are using the Logitech 9000 to start out with.
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/we.../6333&cl=us,en
I would recommend when you can afford it, to start switching over to camcorders. You can buy a nice Canon or Sony for $300 or $400. You can also buy a piece that you attach to your tripod for $80 that makes your camera pan and tilt.