Top 10 digicams of October 2007

Cameras from the last fall launch are more or less out in the retail stores now. So we are beginning to see how these models are panning out though we will still need to wait for November's top 10 chart to really see how things go. After all these new cameras will need more than a month's worth of exposure in order to resonate in our charts.

As of now, Sony Cyber-shots are leading the game with first, second and sixth positions. The Japanese firm's T200 has already powered itself to second place. If the new Cyber-shot T2 doesn't fall short, it may enter the charts in November and we may see the whole Sony compact family on the chart at the same time.

Panasonic cuts a close second with third and fifth, while surprisingly, Canon is third with fourth, eight and tenth. Oddly, Panasonic's newer compacts (FX-33 and FX-55) did not make the cut, nor did any of Casio's new range of YouTube-enabled cameras or Samsung's sexy cams.

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.	Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T20   CNET Asia rating: 7.4 out of 10 The good: Slim, sleek design; face detection; optional HD output; fast performance. The bad: Must half-press shutter to ensure focus; very noisy at ISO 800 and above. The bottom line: Sony's DSC-T20 is a stylish, solidly built camera with quick performance and pleasing image quality at lower ISO settings. Review | See full specs | Rate this
	2.	Sony Cyber-shot T200   CNET Asia rating: 7.4 out of 10 The good: Great design; nice, large 3.5-inch 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. Review | See full specs | Rate this
	3.	Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18   CNET Asia rating: 8 out of 10 The good: Intelligent Auto mode was spot on most of the time; solid build; good overall performance. The bad: No hotshoe; no flip-out screen. The bottom line: Its ease of use is of note for a user who isn't prepared to delve into a camera's manual exposure settings, but who wants something better than a point-and-shoot. Review | See full specs | Rate this
	4.	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. Review | See full specs | Rate this
	5.	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