Sony ✨Digital✨ Handycam DCR-TRV120.
I actually own four Digital8 camcorders, but this is the only one currently in a "Just Works™" state.
I somehow through dumb luck have the upper-tier sister model to this TRV120 that adds Memory Stick photo functionality, and it works pretty well, but the playback control panel is very inconsistent and jittery - the buttons and their functions often get wires crossed and don't do what they say (Stop will engage Fast Forward, etc.). I imagine it just needs a cable to be reseated but hell if I want to go about disassembling one of these beasts - especially one that works nearly perfectly otherwise.
I also have a later model purple Digital8 cam I got from my aunt and uncle. It seems to be in perfect working order but the hand strap is very sticky and gunky, and other than that it's Too Nice to be lending out. I also don't have many batteries for that one.
Lastly I have a Digital8 cam that's older than this TRV120 I got from my grand-aunt, and it was working perfectly when I got it, and would have been the perfect candidate for lending to someone to watch their tapes on, as it has by far the largest screen of the four I own - but about a month after I got it, it gradually began to develop a phantom ejecting issue. It would eject the tape randomly in the middle of the night. At first only once, then eventually twice a night. And then it started doing it during the day, too. And then, finally, when I was driving down a bumpy country road with it sitting in the passenger seat next to me, it went Haywire, would eject, then the moment it retracted back in, it would sit still for about a second before ejecting again - regardless of whether there was a tape in or not. It's a real shame - it was quickly becoming my favorite Digital8 cam. I'm sure there's some mechanical switch bumped loose or shorted electrical connection somewhere, but again, it's way outside my skillset. I know of a couple people out there with the skills to fix these kinds of quirks, but I don't ever think to set aside the money for these kinds of repairs, so it's just been collecting dust in a box.
My autistic camcorder infodump aside, I'm a little nervous about lending one of my only Known Good tape camcorders out. You know I'll be giving my coworker an OSHA-compliant camcorder safety guide and telling her things like "These are old, fragile, and pretty pricey. A replacement costs like $300 on eBay, so please don't break it."
If she finds anything of value on the tapes, I've offered to dump them to a USB stick for her. I'll probably be nice and only charge her the cost of the USB stick for the trouble.