Top 10 digicams of February 2008

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.

	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. 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 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. Review | See full specs | Rate this
	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. Review | See full specs | Rate this
	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. Review | See full specs | Rate this
	5.	Olympus Mju 850SW   Sensor resolution 8 megapixels LCD size 2.5-inch Optical zoom 3x Storage type(s) xD-Picture Card Dimension 93.6 x 60.9 x 21.3mm Weight 136g See full specs | Rate this