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Top 10 digicams of February 2008

By Leonard Goh
After a long hiatus, we are back with our Top 10. A lot of cameras were unveiled in January at CES and PMA. But it seems readers still prefer functionality and features over the new makes. We observed the same trend at the recent IT Show in Singapore, where despite freebies and tempting packages, most people still went for powerful shooters rather than new models.

In this latest chart release, we are looking at a good mixture of brands, with Sony taking up three slots, its popular T200 in second place. Panasonic's FX33 is also looking good at third, while Canon's IXUS 860 IS dominates the chart for February.

Note: Results are based on readership and polls conducted with selected retailers (Alan Photo Trading, Cathay Photo Store and M S Color Service) in Singapore.

Top five | Next five cameras


Click here for a feature comparison table.
1.  Canon Digital IXUS 860 IS
 
CNET Asia rating: 8 out of 10
The good: Impressive performance and image quality; optical image stabilization; face detection.
The bad: No manual exposure controls; no optical viewfinder.
The bottom line: While the Canon Digital IXUS 860 IS doesn't have an optical viewfinder or manual exposure controls, it captures beautiful images with its wide, 3.8x optical zoom lens and ranks among the top compact cameras we've seen.

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2.  Sony Cyber-shot T200
 
CNET Asia rating: 7.4 out of 10
The good: Great design; nice, large 3.5-inch screen; touchscreen.
The bad: Iffy accuracy for Smile Shutter; no custom white balance; slight noise even at ISO 400.
The bottom line: It's a perfect camera for someone who prizes style and gimmicky features over performance and control.

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3.  Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX33
 
CNET Asia rating: 7.4 out of 10
The good: Competent automatic mode; minimalist looks; relatively speedy performance; wide-angle lens.
The bad: Very average optical zoom; no real option for switching to manual mode.
The bottom line: If you really crave a literal point-and-shoot capability in a camera, minus the hassles and flaws that come with most compact cameras, the FX-33 would possibly be your best bet so far.

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4.  Fujifilm FinePix F50fd
 
CNET Asia rating: 7.8 out of 10
The good: Has aperture- and shutter-priority exposure controls; sensor-shift image stabilization; wide ISO range.
The bad: Sluggish between shots; shows minor noise even at ISO 400; no full manual exposure mode.
The bottom line: The Fujifilm FinePix F50fd should works for most photographers, in fact, it would even please those who are slightly more advanced.

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5.  Olympus Mju 850SW
 
Sensor resolution8 megapixels
LCD size2.5-inch
Optical zoom 3x
Storage type(s)xD-Picture Card
Dimension93.6 x 60.9 x 21.3mm
Weight136g

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See the next five cameras »

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