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Basically stay away from Hi-8, VHS-C, S-VHS-C, they may be cheaper but the bulky construction will wear your arm out during one family picnic.
Mini-DV and Digital 8 yield about the same quality but DV tapes are smaller (thus holds a little less footage). Mini-DVD records straight to blank 3" DVD but I'd prefer shooting on tape then transfer to PC for editing.
Do some research on Google, it's not that hard!
Decided how much you want to spend. Get the most OPTICAL zoom possible. Some models have low light, image stabilization and digital camera built-in. I'm on my 4th camcorder now, current one is a Digital 8, though bulky but has served me well for over 5 years now.
By the way, get one with Firewire connection if you can. It connects the camcorder to your PC, you will need to get a Firewire (IEEE1394) card if your PC doesn't already have one. USB 2 connection is fine and is rated a high transfer rate than firewire but in reality it's actually slower.
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