As Juan says, optical zoom is important. If he's going to use it for sports then manual shutter speed control is a nice to have (Canons have it, most Sonys only have Sports AE mode). I like Canon DV camcorders personally (I have a GL-2 and an Optura Pi). Optura Xi would be a good choice.

I don't recommend DVD camcorders because they are harder to use on the PC/MAC.

Definitely, recommend agains microMV from Sony if they're still making that.

Some places I've used with decent service:

http://buydig.com
http://profeel.com

Buy accessories (batteries, etc) on eBay for the best deal.