Those who like to take movie clips will find little of substance in the FE-170. Movies are limited to a no longer very acceptable 320 x 240 format at a leisurely 15 frames per second. No audio either, and no zooming during movies. That was okay a few years ago, but in a 6-megapixel camera it is, well, one of the concessions you make for the low price. Another is that internal memory is just 10MB, barely enough for six images. The beancounters at Olympus also nixed the TruePic TURBO Image Processor. That imaging technology improves color fidelity by applying optimal adjustment to color and luminance signals as opposed to applying the same to both. Advanced filters optimize the signal-to-noise ratio, resulting in clarity and detail, and tight integration of the TURBO processor into the camera's overall functioning speeds everything up. True enough, the FE-170 was slower than the other two, and image detail was not as bright and crisp. That also may have something to do with the ISO 400 limit whereas the other two go all the way up to ISO 1000.

On the interface side, the FE-170 has separate video out and USSB ports. Since it doesn't do sound and doesn't have a microphone, a combined USB/AV out connector was not needed. There is a DC jack for the optional AC/DC adapter.

The Stylus FE-180:

For some reason. Though at 3.5 x 2.4 x 1.1 inches the FE-180 is just a little bit smaller and weighs the same six ounces when loaded with a set of rechargeables, it does look and feel smaller. While it can be vexing to pay more for a lower resolution display, the 110k pixel LCD shared between the FE-180 and FE-190 is actually no worse. In fact, it actually looks better than the higher res screen of the FE-170. Thanks to the TruePic TURBO Image Processor, the FE-180 feels quite a bit quicker than the FE-170, and pictures are definitely sharper and cleaner. Those who like to take movie clips will love the FE-180. Not only can you shoot in full 640 x 480 mode, but you also get audio and you can record at 30 frames per second. That makes a huge difference for lifelike recording. Further, unlike with the FE-170, you can use the optical zoom while shooting movies. Another big plus. You also get 22MB of internal memory instead of just 10 with the less expensive model. That is still no big deal, but at least it can tide you over with 15 shoots in 6-megabyte mode until you locate, or make room on, a memory card.

With onboard audio (though sadly no audio clips or voice recording), the FE-180 uses a combined A/V out mini-USB connector.

Overall, the $30 price difference between the FE-180 and FE-170 is more than justified. You get a set of rechargeables, a battery charger, more than twice the internal memory, and higher resolution, higher quality movies with zoom and sound. And the ISO 1000 max and the onboard TruePic TURBO processor make this a faster camera that takes better pictures. No contest.

The Stylus FE-190:

So the extra $20 the FE-190 costs over the FE-180 gets you the sleeker look. The LCD remains the same, as does the internal 22MB memory. Both have the TruePic TURBO Image Processor. With some of our test images one camera had the edge, in others the other. Overall they perform the same. However, poking around the menus of the FE-190 reveals a disappointing shortfall: no 640 x 480 movie mode! You can shoot at 30 frames per second and you get sound with the movies and you can zoom, but only at 320 x 240 pixels. We really can't think of a reason why this should be so, but it is. This alone may disqualify the FE-190 for those who love to take video clips.

So whether or not the FE-190 is the camera of choice among those three will be a matter of preference. If sleekness matters, it's no contest. This is by far the handiest and most elegant of the three. However, the low-res movie mode is a downer, and the little, and expensive, Li-Ion pack has its pros and cons. Power draw characteristics between different battery technologies affect how many pictures it lasts in a digital camera, but in terms of watt-hours, the little Li-Ion tablet packs about the same punch as a couple of rechargeable NiMH AAs.

What they all share:

I am pleased to report that the FE series cameras couldn't be simpler. All share the control placement and layout. Power button and shutter on top; record and playback neatly separated with a red and a green push button, a clearly marked mode wheel; equally clearly marked Menu and garbage buttons, and a standard navigation disc that provides access to other functions (macro, printing, flash, self timer). All three share the same icon/text-based menu system. Record and Playback show different main menu screens when you push the "menu" button. From there you select functions that may either bring up a selection list (such as image quality) that may include "wwalking" menus for sub-selections. Below is the main menu screen of the Stylus FE-190:

All cameras are point & shooters. A scene mode allows access to ten optimized settings; the most commonly used ones (portrait, landscape, night) are on the mode wheel, as is the movie mode and the digital anti-shake mode. A special "Shooting Guide" mode lists 11 situations and guides the user through doing the proper settings. Very clever. Picture quality is very good. And with six megapixel at your disposal, you don't even need to crop closely.

Below you see the scene selection menu. It starts out showing a sample image of the scene type, and then an explanation. Below that is page one of the "Shooting Guide." If you were to select the first item, "Brightening Subject," the camera would then go to a second screen from where you can increase exposure and the the flash to fill-in mode. Very handy.

And the winner is:

The sleek and slender FE-190 is far sexier than the bulkier lower-end models and it has a lot to offer. But the sleekness also means a spare battery costs a lot more than standard AAs. And, inexplicably, the FE-190 is saddled with a 320 x 240 pixel movie mode. To our way of thinking, top model in a lineup cannot offer less than the one below it. And 320 x 240 is awfully small these days.

So our favorite in this lineup is the FE-180. It's a very nice 6-megapixel camera with a good lens, good digital image stabilization, a decent 2.5-inch display, speedy 640 x 480 movies with sound and zoom, and a nice 22MB of internal memory for when you run out of space on your memory Card. Its two NiMH rechargeables perform well, and cheap replacements are everywhere. This camera offers an awful lot for its list price of US$179.99.

Stylus FE-170
We like:

• Very low price for a good 6.0 megapixel camera
• Higher-res screen than its pricier siblings
• Uses standard AA batteries
• Jack for optional A/C adapter

• No audio
• Doesn't come with rechargeable batteries or charger
• 320 x 240 video without sound or zoom
• Lack of TruePic TURBO processor visible in lesser picture quality
• Limited ISO range (400 max)
• Only 10MB onboard meemory

• Comes with rechargeable AAs and charger
• Has 640 x 480 movies with sound and zoom
• TruePic TURBO processor and image stabilization combine for great shots
• 22MB of internal memory to tide you over
• Great balance of low price and features

• No audio clips or voice recording
• Heavier and bulkier than FE-190

• Sleeker and lighter than the others
• TruePic TURBO processor and image stabilization combine for great shots
• Great 5X zoom, superb image stabilization
• 22MB of internal memory to tide you over

• No audio clips or voice recording
• Only has 320 x 240 video mode (with sound and zoom, though)