For under $1,000, the best option is the EX-F1. You can rent the Phantom Mini here in Dallas for $2,500 a week, and the full Phantom for $3,000-$4,000 a day.
Phantom Mini? What are you refurring to? THere is no VR product called the Phantom Mini. Do you mean the Phantom Miro?
The Miro is good, I have had a breif play, its more for documentary and research, not really geared up for cinema.
I have recently been playing with the Phantom v710, up to 1.4 million fps. I am shooting with it in a few weeks, 40,000fps to catch a mach 1 tennis ball.
The Miro is great, the newer ones (Ex1 and 2) are better. The old ones had aluminium cases that got very hot, the new ones are made of this magical rubbery plastic stuff that dissipates the heat better.
The highspeed shots in this clip were shot with the Miro: