OLYMPUS VG-170 - A sturdy point-and-shoot camera but an average performer

Point-and-shoot digital cameras offer extreme ease of use at a sweet price point. The Olympus VG-170, an upgrade to the VG-140, is one such camera.The VG-170’s flash is large and almost twice as intense as flash strobes on most other point-and-shoots, making for well-exposed shots even in pitch darkness. Like the VG-140, this model too features a 14 megapixel sensor and a 5x zoom lens with a focal length of 26 mm at the widest end. The rear of the camera is flanked by a large three-inch LCD and the control panel. Right on top is a hotkey for video recording and a textured thumb grip. The location of the hotkey allows for instant access without any strain. The control panel comprises of a five-way d-pad and buttons for Menu and Playback.
The Olympus VG-170 doesn’t boast of elaborate controls; you get the Intelligent Auto, Program, Dual IS, Scene and Magic Filter modes. The feature set, build quality and ergonomics of the VG-170 are very good. We expected the performance to be good too, but it was disappointing. The photos we shot looked good on the camera screen, but at 100 percent zoom, the reproduction of details was poor. For the kind of features it offers and the below-average performance, we find the VG-170 too steeply priced.

SPECIFICATIONS


Dimensions (WxHxD):103.7 x 62.5 x 22.2 mm;
Weight:147 g;Resolution:14 MP;Focal length:26-130 
mm (35 mm equiv.);Optical zoom:5x;Aperture:F2.8-F6.5;ISO range:80-1600;LCD display:3-inch, 460k 
dots;Video recording:720p;Internalstorage:34.9 MB.