half of your statement is correct.
im not sure what you mean by "solid" but i have a 7d, 5 lenses, filters, memory, batteries, glidecam and fluid head, and ive spent about 2500 on all of said equipment. an hvx alone costs nearly 5 grand.
a t2i with a fluid head and a glidecam will come to just over a grand.
youre statement about glass is half correct.
yes, new, digital glass is quite expensive, especially for fast glass. but a huge misconception is that you HAVE to buy new (or used-new) digital glass. WRONG! its actually harder to film with the newer digital lenses (foucus breathes; more elements; normally a less precise, geared focus ring). Currently, my most used lens (when im not follow caming) is my pentax 50mm 1.4 that was made in the early 60s... fucking amazing lens with crazy depth of field. $80 on ebay and all you need is a $5 adapter to have a perfect fit on your EOS mount (or any mount for that matter)