Sony DSCU10 1.3MP Digital Camera

by Sony

Product Details

Product Manual [2.38mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 1.6 x 1.2 x 3.4 inches ; 3 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B00006JHTQ
• Item model number: DSCU10
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #28,907 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: November 3, 2002

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Sony has now made capturing spontaneous photographic moments even easier with the diminutive Cyber-shot DSC-U10. Measuring a mere 3.38 by 1.19 by 1.63 inches and weighing just 4 ounces, the ultracompact DSC-U10 enables you to carry it comfortably in your pocket, your purse, or around your neck. Capturing spontaneity is a snap thanks to its state-of-the-art technology and ease of use

Optics and Resolution
With its a 1.3-megapixel CCD sensor, the DSC-U10 captures images up to 1,280 x 960 pixels--perfect for posting to the Web or sending to friends and family via e-mail. The DSC-U10 offers a fixed-focus 5mm/f2.8 lens (or a 33mm equivalent in a 35mm camera) that has no optical or digital zoom capability. It features a 3-area multipoint autofocus and four-step manual focus with automacro.

Storage and Transfer
Images are stored on Memory Sticks, and an 8 MB card is included, which will store approximately 23 images. Images can be downloaded to either a Mac or PC via USB storage-class connectivity, which means it can be connected to any USB-based Windows Me/2000/XP and Mac OS 8.6 or later computer without installing any software.

Movie Mode
In addition to taking still photos, the DSC-U10 can also record MPEG movie clips (without audio) of up to 15 seconds. The limited resolution of your movies guarantees that this feature won't replace your camcorder, but it's perfect for when you just want to capture a quick movie and e-mail it to a friend or relative.

More Features

• Fast start-up time and convenient slide-open lens cover
• 1-inch, 64K pixel transflective LCD viewfinder with battery indicator
• Built-in flash with through-the-lens (TTL) preflash metering and red-eye reduction
• VGA Burst mode captures up to five 640 x 480 frames at two frames/second
• Selectable soft-snap, illumination-snap, and vivid nature scene modes
• Selectable sepia, solarize, black and white, and negative art modes

Power, Size, and Contents
The camera is powered by two rechargeable NiMH AAA batteries (included). It measures 3.38 by 1.19 by 1.63 inches and weighs 4 ounces. This package includes the Cyber-shot DSC-U10 digital camera, 8 MB Memory Stick, rechargeable NiMH batteries (model NH-AAA-DI), battery charger (model BC-CS1 NiMH), USB and AV cables, neck strap, and CD-ROM with Pixela ImageMixer for Sony v1.0 imaging software and USB drivers for Windows and Mac.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good truly tiny camera, but be sure it's for you, December 12, 2002

By 

Snap, Crackle and Pop (United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Sony DSCU10 1.3MP Digital Camera (Electronics)

This camera gets great marks as something you can always carry, and shoot quickly with. (The simplicity of the camera reduces the "shutter lag" that is so frustrating on some digicams - many digicams miss the shot you want because of a delay between when you press the shutter and when it captures the image.) With this tiny Sony, you get the benefit of the several generations of Sony design of compact digicams, and Sony's skill at miniaturizing electronics. For some, this really can be the perfect camera.

But there are some big compromises, so make sure this is what you want. There's no optical zoom, so it's harder to make the most of the limited pixel resolution by zooming in just the part of the scene you want. (1.3MP will give you good 4x6 snapshots, but only if you can use the entire frame to capture your images. For emailing photos, though, that's more than enough pixels - you'll probably trim it down for emailing or for web site photos.) Lack of a viewfinder means you'll drain the battery quicker, and may have trouble seeing what's in the picture in bright sun (which washes out the LCD). And the optics and flash do suffer on a camera this small.

So think about what you need. This camera will be a dream for some. But others can get much better quality and lots of useful features - without much more size or cost - in the Sony DSC-P2 or P7.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the Holy Grail of Digicam is here, December 9, 2002

By 

Mr. Paul Wong (San Jose, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sony DSCU10 1.3MP Digital Camera (Electronics)

I have owned Olympus 400 Z, OlympusRS E100, and when asked by friends about what to look for in a digicam, i always emphasized on the lag time and readiness to shoot.I believe a digicam is for convenience, and not for professional features, which should be left alone to traditional film based camera.So i have been not very happy with what i got, even Olympus RS is a rapid shoot, it still take multiple steps to set it up if the power is turned off, and the size is as big as a traditional SLR.
I just finished the Honolulu Marathon, taking with me in my palm, a brand new Sony DSC U10.The holy grail of digicam is here.
It is so light 4 oz, it is instant ready when i slided the cover to the side.The case is plastic, but the whole camera is solid.
Once reset the resolution, either VGA, or SVGA, then it is ready to shoot.I don't notice any lag time when i press the record button. Since there is no zoom, the lens covers quite a bit of depth.The color came out very nice, comparable to my Olympus RS.
Of course, i couldn't quite capture the front runners when they zoom by, but had i used the burst mode, it might have worked.
There is also a mpeg movie mode, but i haven't tried.The built in flash has several setting, including red eye reduction and back light fill in.So i took 48 pictures during the race, 4 of them were not usable.
I am very happy with this camera .I will pack my Olympus RS now, and put the Sony in my pocket all the time.May be i finally become a photojournalist.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good fit., December 11, 2002

By 

Samuel Chell (Kenosha,, WI United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sony DSCU10 1.3MP Digital Camera (Electronics)

This is my first digital camera. I wanted something simple and dependable--for shooting photos of students, sending shots of the cat to my kids, selling stuff on the internet. The Sony looked like a good bet. What I hadn't counted on was the exquisite smallness of the camera. Scarcely larger than a cigarette lighter, it makes my wife's Canon Elph look like a behemoth by comparison.

Given the size and convenience of the camera, I'm a bit surprised and disappointed at Sony's assumption that its owner might require options like sepia mode and a few other features aimed at the "creative" photographer. Just more potential things to go wrong and detract from the camera's point-and-shoot simplicity. Also puzzling is the feature that allows you to partition the screen into 4 frames containing 4 different images--each about the size of a molecule.

Anyway, I'm getting great shots with everything set on "automatic," and the convenience of the thing is leading me to use it much more than I had planned.