The Sony DSC W170 is a 10 megapixel digital camera with a 5x optical zoom lens. The lens is a wide angle one and the DSC W170 is just about small enough to fit into most pockets.
Why Buy the Sony DSC W170?
The DSC W170 is a mid priced camera. When it comes to features it has one or two extra ones compared to many more typical point and shoot models. These include bracketing, a burst mode and a smile shutter setting that fires off a photo automatically when it detects someone is smiling.
Image Quality Sony DSC W170 test shots
Outdoor 1 (Medium Zoom)
The contrast between the bright blue skies and the darker greens of the trees and foliage is quite striking. The colours are vivid throughout the shot. There is a loss of definition in shady areas within the shot. This is especially noticeable with the name of the front boat.
Outdoor 2 (No Zoom)
Considering the DSC W170 has a wide angle lens the sharpness of the shot is certainly a notch or two above what I was expecting. This is another photo where colours are powerful.
Outdoor 3 (Maximum Zoom)
With the lens fully zoomed in this Sony digital camera is not quite so hot when it comes to focusing. This is noticeable as you move towards the edges of the photo.
Outdoor 4 (Building)
This photo confirms the results of the third outdoor shot. Focusing is not quite as pin sharp throughout the shot as some other digital cameras manage. A further softening of the focus occurs as you move out towards the edges of the photo.
Outdoor Portrait
The stronger colours produced by the DSC W170 are again in evidence. There is plenty of pink in the skin tones and the overall impression is of a warm portrait shot.
Indoor Portrait with Flash
This photo works well. Although there is plenty of brightness in the shot the camera retains a lot of colour.
Indoor Portrait without Flash
With the final portrait shot there are lively colours once again. This Sony digital camera had no focusing problems with any of the portrait shots and in terms of quality appears to be able to take a step up when the subject is closer to the camera.
Colours
I found the colours to be vivid throughout all my tests. You should expect to be able to produce punchy, colourful images.
Macro
The macro shot is a disappointment. The DSC W170 needs to be at least 10cm away from the subject before it can focus. This is at least double the distance compared to other digital cameras. This means I have had to crop my photo heavily. Even then the quality falls below the level I look for.
ISO 400 and ISO 1600
This shot is about par for the course when testing higher ISO settings. At ISO 400 noise starts to become noticeable and by ISO1600 the camera is struggling to find any picture quality at all.
Overall
The test results from this Sony digital camera suggest a mid range digital camera in terms of picture quality. This is fair enough as the camera is priced accordingly. Aside from the macro shot I thought the colours were quite striking. A shade more sharpness in places and the DSC W170 really would have been an impressive camera.
Shutter Lag
All shutter lag times are standard apart from the fast time recorded for a single shot using flash. The times recorded were without flash: single photo 0.32 seconds, five photos 8.82 seconds, with flash: single photo 0.37 seconds, five photos 13.83 seconds.
You can compare this camera to other models by taking a look at the Shutter Lag Comparison Table.
Style: The DSC W170 is just about small enough to slip into most pockets. It has the look of a typical, rectangular digital camera. It is available in black, silver and red.
Dimensions: 93.7 x 58 x 24mm
Weight: 142g
Batteries: Lithium ion. Sony supplies a battery (NP-BG1) and charger as standard. They estimate you should be able to take up to 390 shots in between charges.
Memory cards: 15mb of storage have been built into the camera. This is enough for just 4 shots. The camera is also compatible with Memory Stick Duo and Memory Stick Duo Pro cards.
Click here to save money on Memory Stick.
Ease of use rating: There is nothing especially difficult about this camera. The menu system is bright and clear. Key controls such as flash and zoom are all available through buttons on the back of the camera.
Points I like:
Ease of use - price tag - viewfinder
Where it could improve:
Sharpness of distant subjects
Alternatives
Another option if you are looking for a pocket sized digital camera with a little extra zoom is the Olympus FE-340.
Verdict:
The Sony DSC W170 is a fairly solid offering without being anything spectacular. As I have found with other Sony digital cameras in this range the pictures tend to be a bit softer than with some other brands.
Front View
Back View
Top View
Sample Menus
| Sony DSC W170 Summary |
| Description: | 10 megapixels with a 5x optical zoom lens |
| Ease of Use: | 9 |
| Features: | 8 |
| Colour: | 8 |
| Macro: | 5 |
| Indoors: | 8 |
| Value for Money: | 8 |
| Style: | 8 |
| Movie Mode: | 8 |
| Image Quality: | 7 |
| Build Quality: | 8 |
| Total: | 77 |
| Verdict: | This is a decent camera and I am sure the wide angle lens will come in handy for many people. It is easy to use and has the added attraction of a viewfinder. You can also slip this camera into most pockets without a problem. |
| Review Date: | May 2008 |
| Click for: | Specification Sample Images Features |
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