Top 10 digicams of June 2007

With the impending launch of new cameras to sate the consumer appetite for the rest of the year, it's expected that there will be a bit of upheaval in the charts. This month, nine other cameras heaved a sigh of relief as the popular Canon IXUS 850 IS gets knock out after months on top of the heap. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 claims top spot this month with the Sony Cyber-shot T100 a close second.

While the drama continues, there are three camera brands whose wares continues to be absent from the chart. Will the early influx of new cameras from Casio, Samsung and Pentax help fuel a resurgence next month?

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.

	1.	Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3   CNET Asia rating: 7 out of 10 The good:  Wide, powerful lens with little distortion; quick performance. The bad:  No manual exposure controls; tiny buttons; no stop-motion movie mode. The bottom line: Though it leaves out one fun, little shooting mode, the Panasonic DMC-TZ3 improves upon its predecessor in nearly every way. Review | See full specs | Rate this
	2.	Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T100       CNET Asia rating: 8.2 out of 10 The good:  Great photos; relatively fast performance; above-average features for its class, including 5x zoom lens and nine-point autofocus. The bad:  Buttons are a little small; no optical viewfinder. The bottom line: The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T100 is a slim point-and-shoot whose generous feature set, great photos, and quick performance make it an excellent choice for a pocket camera. Review | See full specs | Rate this
	3.	Canon Digital IXUS 850 IS       CNET Asia rating: 7.8 out of 10 The good:  Good focal range for lens; quick performance; optical image stabilization; attractive design. The bad:  Few manual controls; extremely noisy photos at ISO 1,600. The bottom line: A slim, stylish body, a wide-angle lens, very good photo quality, and snappy performance make the Canon Digital IXUS 850 IS a great point-and-shoot. Review | See full specs | Rate this
	4.	Fujifilm FinePix F31fd       CNET Asia rating: 8 out of 10 The good:  Face detection; wireless connectivity to IrSimple devices; increased built-in memory; low noise at high sensitivity settings. The bad:  Boring design; lackluster continuous shooting mode; proprietary memory card format; no optical image stabilizer; lens could be wider. The bottom line: The Fujifilm FinePix F31fd carries on the leading high ISO performance from the F30 and is a solid all-round compact camera for general photography and low-light shooting. Review | See full specs | Rate this
	5.	Olympus SP-550 UZ   CNET Asia rating: 7.4 out of 10 The good:  Solid styling; easily replaceable AA-sized batteries; 18x optical zoom that begins at 28mm; optical image stabilization; full manual mode; fast burst rate of 15fps but at 1.2 megapixels. The bad:  No manual zoom and hotshoe adapter; plastic tripod receptacle; half-pressing the shutter doesn't bring you out of the menus directly into shooting mode; continuous shooting limited to three frames; unusable pictures at ISO 3,200 and ISO 5,000. The bottom line: The Olympus SP-550UZ would be a great travel camera, or a second camera with a wide focal range, at a competitive price. Review | See full specs | Rate this