[stomachmonkey]

I have owned the Sony TRV series. Good camera. Not great longevity though.

Currently have the Panasonic PV GS15. Great bang for the buck.

I recommend that you go to a mass retailer like Best Buy and try them on.

The various models will work better for some than others depending on your hand size, righty or lefty, etc...

You want to pick it up and see how easy the basic controls are to reach for you. How comfortable it is in your hand. Basic ease of operation, if you need both hands to do the basics that's NG.

Mini DV is the way to go. Most have Firewire.

I recommend the smallest camera that fits your hand comfortably.

Trust me on this one, the larger the camera the less likely you may be to take it with you on outings.

Scott