How do consumer miniDV camcorders of today compare to 8mm and Super 8mm?

I have a Sony Digital8 camcorder, and I haven't noticed any pixelation even on my 27" TV. Sometimes low-light images are grainy, but that can be true of any camcorder, analog or digital. In sunlight I get excellent image quality, but what's more important to me is that digital video is much easier to transfer to my PC via firewire so I can edit it and burn it to DVDs. You can do that with analog video too if you have a capture card, but you can lose some quality in the analog to digital conversion process.

I have a Sony with 16:9 recording (anamorphic) and 5.1 surround with a 3 MP camera as a feature. The video is outstanding, the best amateur footage I have ever seen! I could not be more impressed. I came from a Sharp Hi 8MM, and the difference is night and day. Note: mine is a 3" DVD format recorder, not mini DV, but it is the same priciple with an easier and more durable output.