"Trying to use what I have" is sort of like trying to prepare dinner with a bag of microwave popcorn, a can of cat food, and some whipped cream. On their own, each is fine, but only for the use intended. You need a baseline of gear, not just random gear that isn't useful for this task.
Win8 sometimes works, better than Win10 at least. It acts like both Win7 and Win10, and can go either way. WinXP/7 is best for capture.
You must have some form of TBC. It's not optional. Even a minimalist ES10/15 is better than nothing, though you'll compromise quality (vs. an actual TBC) and have Panasonic side effects. But again, better than nothing.
There are worse consumer VHS VCRs than 2000s Sony models. So there's something. It's not good, but merely "not terrible".
Most pros are idiots -- and I can say that, having worked professionally for studios. They wouldn't know an Avisynth script from a DOS batch file. Avisynth is merely for those that seek quality, as it's primarily a restoration tool. Most users of this are serious video hobbyists, not working professionals. Most. Not all.
There is (currently) no reason to use the camcorder that made the tapes. Most camcorders play worse than VCRs, and in fact more often damage tapes.
Elgato earned the nickname "Elcrapo". It's not merely about quality sucking, but all the problems you'll have simply trying (and likely failing) to get it to work correctly.
Yes,
VirtualDub. Not VirtualDub2 (not yet), and never OBS (screen/stream recording software, NOT analog capture software!)
With only 8 tapes, and resistance to buy stuff, get the ES10 or ES15 (and few others; are you PAL?), those are ~$150 range. Try the VCR, get a good capture card (~$100 range). Not the >$10
eBay/
Amazon special (and it's "special" all right). I have cards in the marketplace, or you can pull the
eBay slot machine handle and hope you don't get a dud. Nothing (with any degree of quality) is sold new anymore, converting VHS is a legacy 2000s task mostly using 2000s (to early 2010s) hardware.
Remember this: buy it, use it, resell it. It holds value -- especially after a quick turnaround of 8 tapes.