Video Camera

With a new addition to my family on the way I've decided that I need a video camera. Although I know next to nothing about the format, etc., I should buy, I can find all this out from the web. The problem is that I don't know how to find out which cameras are going to be compatible with my linux box, and I'd hate to come home with my shiny new camera, only to find that I can't upload any footage to my PC.

Can anyone offer any advice on this?

Does anyone out there use a video camera with their linux box? Was it easy to set up? Does it work as smoothly as it should?

Thanks.