what is the avarage lifespan of a camcorder ?

To the pavement. For some that accident plan is priceless. My camcorder is years old but it lives in a very nice place, tapes are not reused more than a few times and the battery is never a big deal to get a new one. Hint? Some will try to save a 2 year old battery but instead the charging circuit dies under the strain of charging an old battery.

Bob

I don't recommend buying a hi8 since that technology is already old. mini-DVDs camcorders are not that expensive this days.

mini dv is not good in low light . perhaps d8 is a beter choice

Low-light has nothing to with the camcorder format, but the imaging sensor. The imaging sensor determines if you have good quality video or bad quality video. The compression then kicks in whcih is where the complaints start aflowin'.