Olympus FE · announced August 2006
The Olympus FE-170: the $150 AA-powered compact that two reviewers steered buyers away from
Olympus's quick-start guide covers it as the FE-170/X-760.8 The launch releases and reviews we read all call it the FE-170; none of them uses the X-760 name or says where it was sold under it.12456
In August 2006 Olympus announced four FE compacts, and the FE-170 was the cheapest, at $149.99. CNET and Digital Camera Magazine both found it slower than the FE-180 and sent buyers there instead. A shorter review, from Best4Reviews, liked its pictures.
- Launched
- August 2006
- Sensor
- 6 MP CCD
- Lens
- 38–114 mm, 3×
- Card
- xD-Picture Card
- Battery
- 2 x AA
Olympus FE-170 specs: sensor, lens, battery, memory card and cable
The Olympus FE-170 came out in August 2006 at $149.99 as a 6 MP CCD compact with a 38–114 mm (35 mm equivalent) 3× zoom lens. It uses xD-Picture Card and runs on 2 x AA batteries. Sources
- Sensor
- CCD, 1/2.5", 6 MP source
- Lens
- 38–114 mm equivalent, 3× zoom source
- Memory card
- xD-Picture Card source
- Battery
- 2 x AA source
- USB / A/V cable
- See our Olympus cable page
Meet the camera
Olympus announced the FE-170 on 23 August 2006 with three siblings, the FE-180, FE-190 and FE-200, all due in September.12 It was the floor of the range: an estimated $149.99 in the United States, against $179.99, $199.99 and $249.99 for the others, and about £115 in the UK, against £140 for the FE-180.12 Reviewed.com added that it was $50 cheaper than the FE-140, the old top FE point-and-shoot, and carried 10 MB of built-in memory against that camera's 22 MB.3
Imaging Resource's launch spec table gives the body as 90.0 by 62.5 by 30.5 millimetres and 124 grams; Digital Camera Magazine, weighing it with batteries and a card, gave six ounces and called it the largest of the three 3x cameras it compared.15 Best4Reviews called the design boxy and the build plastic, helped by a subtle curve that gave a place to grip; Olympus UK said the FE-180 had a metal front.62 There is no viewfinder: the 2.5-inch screen, listed at 150,000 pixels by Imaging Resource and 154,000 by Digital Camera Magazine, is the only way to frame a picture.15 In the US the box held two alkaline AA batteries, a USB cable, a video cable, a strap, a quick-start guide and a CD-ROM carrying the software and the advanced manual, but no memory card.186
Why this one was interesting
The same camera, with the good parts left out
The FE-170 is best understood next to the FE-180. On paper the FE-180 looked almost identical, with the same sensor and the same lens; CNET's reviewer said the $30 gap hid some heavily cut corners.4 Imaging Resource's launch spec tables show where the money went.1
| Launch spec | FE-170 | FE-180 |
|---|---|---|
| US price | $149.99 | $179.991 |
| UK price | about £115 | about £1402 |
| Image processor | unbranded | TruePic Turbo45 |
| Top ISO | 400 | 10001 |
| Video | 320×240, 15 fps, no sound | 640×480, 30 fps, sound1 |
| Built-in memory | 10 MB | 22 MB1 |
| Batteries in the box | 2 alkaline AA | 2 NiMH AA and a charger1 |
| Screen | 150,000 dots | 115,000 dots1 |
| CNET: shot to shot / shutter lag | 4.8 s / 1.3 s | 1.6 s / 0.6 s4 |
Digital Camera Magazine, which used the FE-170, FE-180 and FE-190 for several weeks, also put the FE-180 ahead. It called the FE-170 a fine camera in its own right and still placed it third, citing the missing charger, the ISO 400 ceiling, the small memory, the plain processor and the silent, small, no-zoom movie mode.5 Of the FE-180 it said the $30 premium was more than justified.5
An underwater option
Olympus's US release singled out the FE-170's optional water-resistance case, good for swimming to 10 feet; the UK release said an optional Outdoor Case would soon be available for it.12 Reviewed.com described the camera as compatible with an optical underwater housing.3 None of the three reviews we read tested one.
What was lost
Most of what the FE-180 added. CNET said the FE-170 had no ISO control at all, and with the ISO value left out of the file data, you could not tell which sensitivity the camera had picked.4 The scene presets did the rest of the thinking: apart from macro, flash and exposure compensation, CNET said, they were the only way to change anything.4 Digital Camera Magazine counted the movie mode among the concessions of the low price and said the built-in memory was barely enough for six pictures.5 Best4Reviews' gripe was the card: none in the box, so budget for one.6
The dark: its weak point
No reviewer we read tested the FE-170 in dim light, so the evidence is thin. The ceiling is ISO 400, against 1000 for the FE-180, and Digital Camera Magazine thought that limit might have something to do with the camera's duller, less crisp detail.15 CNET said noise was not very noticeable but that, with no ISO control, it could not run its usual noise tests.4 The photos below are free Commons files shot with this camera, and their own EXIF data lists ISO 320 or 400 and exposures of a tenth to a thirtieth of a second. CNET said the camera did not record ISO in its EXIF data, which these files seem to contradict; we cannot say why, so read the ISO values as labels on the files, not as measurements.4
On eBay right now
Live listings for this camera, supplied by eBay and updated automatically. We earn a commission if you buy through them.
The little wins
Batteries from a supermarket
Olympus UK sold the AA power as a virtue, saying the batteries were available from supermarkets and high-street shops.2 Digital Camera Magazine liked the standard cells and the jack for an optional AC adapter, though it noted that the buyer had to supply rechargeables and a charger.5
A longer flash, or not
Imaging Resource's spec tables gave the FE-170 more flash range than the FE-180 at both ends, 4.0 and 2.1 metres against 2.7 and 1.4.1 Digital Camera Magazine agreed on the wide end but said the flash gave less range at the telephoto end than the near-identical FE-180's; we cannot reconcile the two.5
Pictures that beat a phone
Best4Reviews said that, among cameras under £100, the FE-170 gave some of the sharpest and most naturally coloured pictures it had seen, and that, in 2007, they would be much better than those of current camera phones.6
How it drew the picture
On picture quality the three reviews do not agree. CNET found processing artifacts that obscured and softened fine detail and, under tungsten light, pictures it compared to old sepia prints, a problem the FE-180 did not have.4 Digital Camera Magazine said detail on the FE-170 was less bright and crisp than on its siblings, yet in a section about what all three share, it called picture quality very good.5 Best4Reviews, the shortest of the three, praised sharp, natural colour straight out of the camera.6 The photos below are free Commons files whose EXIF data names this camera; the file data lists ISO 64 for eight of the nine and ISO 125 for the other, and the uploaders' editing is unknown.
Photos taken with this camera, from Wikimedia Commons, credited under each picture.
Where it let you down
Speed. CNET measured 5.7 seconds from power-on to the first shot, 4.8 seconds between shots without the flash, 5.5 with it, and 1.3 seconds of shutter lag, which CNET's reviewer called almost as painful as the waits.4 In CNET's chart the Samsung L60 managed 2.0 seconds between shots and 0.7 of lag, and the Sony DSC-S600 managed 1.3 and 0.4; the FE-180 managed 1.6 and 0.6.4 CNET blamed the FE-170's unbranded processor.4 By 20 October 2006 CNET's review of the more expensive FE-200 was already measuring that camera against what it called the disappointing FE-170.7 The movie mode, 320×240 at 15 frames a second with no sound and no zoom, was a second let-down.15
What the reviewers said
| Outlet | Date | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| CNET (Will Greenwald) | 11 Oct 2006, as dated on the archived page | 2.5 stars: terrible performance and mediocre shots, not worth the money; spend $30 more on the FE-180.47 |
| Digital Camera Magazine | Undated; spec tables added 11/2006 | A fine camera, but third of three; the FE-180 was the best buy.5 |
| Best4Reviews | 24 Jun 2007 | A simple, keenly priced snapshot camera with sharp, natural pictures for under £100.6 |
Imaging Resource covered the launch and kept an overview page with specifications, but we found no hands-on review from it.19 Our evidence is one measured test (CNET), one comparison by a magazine that used the camera for weeks (Digital Camera Magazine) and one short review, so the page is thinner than most of ours. Best4Reviews quoted a £100 recommended price, against £115 in Olympus UK's release.62
The timeline
- 23 August 2006Olympus announces the FE-170, FE-180, FE-190 and FE-200 in the US and the UK; the FE-170 is $149.99 and about £115.12
- September 2006The planned availability month in both releases.12
- 11 October 2006CNET publishes its FE-170 review, as dated on the archived page.4
- 20 October 2006Photography Blog quotes CNET's FE-200 review, which already refers to the disappointing FE-170.7
- November 2006Digital Camera Magazine's spec tables for the FE-170, FE-180 and FE-190 are marked as added this month.5
- 24 June 2007Best4Reviews publishes its FE-170 review, as printed on the page.6
Should you buy one now?
Buy one if you want a very plain, AA-powered 2006 snapshot compact and can live with waits of about five seconds between shots.4 It launched at $149.99;1 what it sells for now is a question for the sold listings, not for us. We have not tested a unit yet. If a similar Olympus with AA batteries and an xD slot appeals, our Camedia D-560 Zoom review covers an earlier one, and our guide to AA-powered CCD digicams compares the battery choices. Before you bid, check these:
- The name. Search FE-170 and X-760.8 The FE-180 looks almost the same, though Olympus UK said it had a metal front; check the model label on the front.25
- The batteries. Two AA cells power it; the box held alkalines and no charger, so a set of rechargeable cells is a separate purchase, for example on Amazon ↗.15
- The card. It takes xD-Picture Cards, with 10 MB built in.1 We could not read Olympus's list of supported card sizes for this model, so see our memory card guide before buying a large card.
- The cables. The box held a USB cable and a video cable, and Digital Camera Magazine found separate USB and video sockets plus a DC jack.15 See our Olympus cable page.
- The screen and lens. Check that the screen is unscratched and that the lens extends and retracts when you switch on.
If you are wondering why cameras like this are being hunted down again, we tell that story once, in Pictures that never left the card. Terms are explained in our digicam glossary.
See recent sold prices on eBay ↗Shop on eBay ↗Rechargeable AA batteries ↗
Sources
- Imaging Resource, “Olympus: Four new FE-series digicams (UPDATED)” (23 Aug 2006), with Olympus Imaging America's press release, prices and a spec table for each camera
- Photography Blog, “Olympus FE-180 and Olympus FE-170” by Mark Goldstein (23 Aug 2006), reproducing Olympus UK's press release
- Reviewed.com, “Olympus Updates FE-Series” by Karen M. Cheung (page dated 22 Aug 2006; it reports the 23 Aug announcement)
- CNET, Olympus FE-170 review by Will Greenwald (dated 11 Oct 2006 on the page; read in the Internet Archive's 30 Jul 2016 copy)
- Digital Camera Magazine, “Olympus Stylus FE-170, FE-180, FE-190” by Conrad H. Blickenstorfer (undated; its spec tables are marked “Added 11/2006”)
- Best4Reviews, Olympus FE-170 review by Gavin Stoker (24 Jun 2007 as printed)
- Photography Blog, “Olympus FE-200 Review at CNET” (20 Oct 2006), quoting CNET's FE-200 review
- Olympus, FE-170/X-760 Quick Start Guide (as hosted by ManualsDir)
- Imaging Resource, Olympus FE-170 overview page (specifications and a launch-time description; no hands-on test)
Photographs are credited under each one, all via Wikimedia Commons. Links to eBay and Amazon are affiliate links.