im new here, i didnt see any forum rules against this so ill ask. im new to film, and im almost ready to being a low budget production. i have minimal funds but i'd like to buy a serious camera, somewhere from $1400 to $1900. i need something that'll shoot clean & clear and good slow motion sequences. Again, im new and i dont really know what im looking for but i need suggestions. Any help please?

What kind of film would you like to produce?

Sorry but you're not going to get a "serious" camera for $1400-$1900.  Especially one that does slow motion.  What you CAN get is a a good 16mm Bolex or Arri used for that price.  Modified they can do speed ramping.  Of course, you have to pay for film/processing/telecine and lenses on top of that.

If you want to stay digital, then getting a used DVX-100 or a new HV40 (hd) and use a NLE plugin for speed ramping.  Not the best, but works well.

In digital cameras, you're not going to get a decent one that will do slow motion (overcranking) until you get into the $6000K+ range, at the absolute minimum.

If you need to do only minor overcranking, you could shoot at 30fps (or 60 if the camera can handle it) and slow down to 24fps in post.

One of my friends has a digital video camera Canon XL H1, like this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-XL-H1-Definition-Camcorder-Optical/dp/B000B6D2SU

And it's pretty good for what he does...it was about 8 000 $ when he bought it...anyhow, it costs more than ~ 2000 $. I too, don't think that you can find a camera able to do those stuffs on the market...maybe on the underground market... XD

you are totally getting it wrong...seriously? Maya? After Effects?...these programs have nothing to do with Edius, Premiere pro or even Media Composer. Maya is a 3d animator. Just like 3ds max. After effects is a compositing software...just like combustion or apple's shake. Edius is a professional tool used mostly for broadcasting. Limited? no masking? Of course there is no masking...Media Composer has no masking Final Cut Pro...has no masking...Premeire Pro has no masking...That's why Shake and After  Effects exist. True Vegas does...and so does Autodesk Smoke. But they are not used for the same purpose as Premiere Pro or FCP or MC are used... Smoke is for suited for a small project...for instance...a commercialFor a feature film or for broadcasting ... you would want to use something else... and Maya....Maya is not even an NLE.