I post normally in Newbies, 'cause that's what I am. Since Hi8 decks weren't popular, thought may have better feedback chance here.

Testing for converting Hi8 tapes. Found 2006 thread Capturing Video8 and Hi8 - guides that makes me wonder if an EV Hi8 deck would be worth trying to find. Quick look finds them really expensive, but my test captures show a lot of color bleed. Any thoughts?

Post #13 from the thread:
Digital8 (camcorder) vs. Hi8 Deck:
1. Resolution - the Hi8 deck captured more detail. I saw this consistently, in the DVD caps as well as the res chart capture. For Video8 material, you won't notice any difference. For Hi8, my EV-S7000 captures more information. Hi8 Deck wins.
2. Image quality - the Hi8 deck exhibits almost no color bleed. It's a huge difference. Color is more accurate to the source. The picture is smooth and artifact free. On the other hand, the D8 produces a slightly less noisy capture. My opinion, Hi8 Deck wins.