Sony Handycam® DCR-TRV460 Digital-8 Camcorder

Pros: Good zoom, video quality, features, price, connectivity, plays 8mm/Hi8.
Cons: Low light causes noise, digital still pictures have low resolution, useless digital zoom

If you want a digital camcorder that can play your old 8mm or Hi8 tapes as well as record in digital format and cost less than many M iniDV camcorders, the S ony ...

Pros: Steadyshot, Nightshot, Predictable Video Quality, Thoughtful UI, Great Quality/Features/Price.
Cons: Digital-8 stores 1/2 of tape, Tiny battery included, bulky. Not many cons.

Now that I am on my 5th digital camcorder, and 4th digital camera, I have some standards to weigh against. Admittedly this is a biased review because 3 of my last 5 camcorders were Sonys, including this one. What's in the box: The usual suspects... ...

Pros: cheap (<$350, Hi8 media), 20x optical zoom, SteadyShot, multiple auto-exposure modes, off-centre focus
Cons: terrible software, motor noise, poor quality bottom loading, bad user interface, poor low-light quality

[Broken in 2 years - See latest upgrade at bottom] I'm upgrading from my (really) old CCD-TR818, Sony's entry level Hi8 camcorder. So Hi8 playback is important. (Was looking at TRV260, which doesn't read Hi8 - and the price difference is ...

Pros: Price,Night Shot,Analog Passthrough,USB Out.
Cons: Short Battery Life,B&W Viewfinder,Low Res. Stills(640x480).

I was looking at for camcorder that had analog passthrough(convert old VHS tapes to DVD),could make still shots and wouldn't break my wallet.
I decided on the DCR-TRV460 and I'm very pleased with the quality of the video and the features.The Night Shot feature is incredible,I am able to capture objects in complete darkness although the picture has a green tint.
Converting old VHS tapes to DVD via my PC is a snap and the picture quality is outstanding.
The still shot feature is nice but don't expect great results due to the 640x480 res.
Another nice feature of the DCR-TRV460 is the amount of output connectors:downloading stills to your PC is a snap with USB and watching video on your TV or making copies is easy due to the RCA jacks.