Sony DSCU20 Cyber-shot 2MP Digital Camera (Silver)+B2

by Sony

Product Details

Product Manual [2.32mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 1.2 x 3.4 x 1.6 inches ; 4.2 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 3 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: B00007E8YT
• Item model number: DSCU20
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #18,441 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: November 4, 2002

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Sony has now made capturing spontaneous moments even easier with the diminutive Cyber-shot DSC-U20. Measuring a mere 3.38 by 1.19 by 1.63 inches and weighing just 4 ounces, you can comfortably carry the ultracompact DSC-U20 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. And with its 2-megapixel resolution, you can enlarge photo prints up to 8 by 10 inches.

Optics and Resolution
The DSC-U20 features a 2-megapixel progressive-scan Super HAD CCD sensor--bumped up from the 1.3 megapixels of its sibling, the DSC-U10--which captures images up to 1,600 x 1,200 pixels. The DSC-U20 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 three-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 15 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-U20 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
• One-inch, 64 K 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 2 frames per second
• Selectable soft snap, illumination snap, and 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-U20 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

60 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This pipsqueak rocks, February 3, 2003

By 

"tim_sf3" (San Francisco) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sony DSCU20 Cyber-shot 2MP Digital Camera (Silver)+B2 (Electronics)

I have been using my new Cyber-shot U camera for several days now and I have to say that overall, this little camera is terrific.

All I want to do is to take some pictures, have the immediate gratification of being able to see them immediately, crop them and post them on a website or email them. MAYBE sometimes print them out. I have no intentions of blowing them up to 8x10". In my entire life I have never blown up a photo that big...biggest I ever got was 4x6, so I'm a little surprised why all of the companies are thumping this 8x10 thing.

I played with my friend's 3.2 megapixel Sony camera and I was seriously considering buying a more full featured camera such as that, until I saw and tried this camera.

Here is my list of pros and cons:

---- The good list ----

EXCELLENT SOFTWARE:
The software driver makes it *so* easy to transfer images to my computer. The camera comes with a USB cord that you simply plug into the camera, and a "Removeable Drive" appears in Explorer. There's one folder for still images, and one folder for MPEGS. This was one of the selling points for me for a Sony camera in general.

QUICK INITIALIZATION:
As soon as the camera is turned on, its ready to shoot. This is an EXCELLENT feature for those of us who want to be able to capture a real-life image that may not be there for too long. Many other cameras have agonizingly-long initialization processes that can seriously impede many photographic impulses.

NON-PROPRIETARY BATTERIES:
This camera (like some other Sony models) uses a pair of Nickel Metal Hydride rechargeable batteries. I like the fact that I can go to a non-Sony company and buy extra batteries if I need to. Plus, if I am in a pinch, I can buy alkaline batteries and use them (even though alkalines are not recommended because of how quickly they are drained).

MANUAL LENS COVER:
The cover to the lens is a manually-operated "door" that you slide sideways to reveal the lens. Plus it also turns the unit on when it is opened. I like this feature very much because it allows me to control how quickly I can open the unit, and therefore, how quickly the unit is ready to shoot. I DON'T have to wait for some motor to do it's thing and tell me when it's ready to shoot (like most other digital cameras).

And by the way, all of the other cameras I looked at had so many delicate moving parts to their mechanized contraptions that I believed that over time I would have eventually lost a spring and would've had to send it to the manufacturer for repair. Most models have super-small moving parts, especially for the lens. Usually they have tiny little doors over the lens. They are very thin and have springs attached to them. I like the idea that I won't be carrying around something so delicate in my pocket.

VERY GOOD PICTURE QUALITY:
This is a 2 megapixel camera and takes excellent photos for what I need them for (web). I have taken hundreds of shots and am extremely satisfied with the results.

SIZE AND WEIGHT:
If you've seen the unit, you'll know. It's very light and very small. It fits easily in my pants pocket. You'd never know it was a camera. I don't know many other cameras that fit into pants pockets easily.

GOOD DESIGN:
It's very intuitive to use and the features are easy to find.

--- The not-so-good list ----

SMALL PREVIEW SCREEN:
The window is too small to let you know if the shot you took is clear. Definitely one of the weaker aspects.

BRIGHT FLASH:
The flash is a bit too bright. It tends to have a "drowning out" effect for images shot close up. I contrast this to my friends Sony 3.2 megapixel camera that did not have the drowning out effect as much. I muted the flash by taping a piece of white paper over it. So far this is working great.

CHARGER UNIT DOESN'T DISCHARGE THE BATTERIES:
The camera comes with a charging unit to recharge the batteries, but it doesn't discharge the batteries first. The manual recommends that you should discharge the batteries before recharging, and I suppose this has to do with what I have been reading about Nickel Metal Hydride batteries' slight "memory effect" whereby battery life can be shortened depending on when they are recharged.

For me, the benefit of having a compact camera is that, before I begin my expedition, I am going to grab a fresh set of batteries, drop them into the camera, and then go. I figure the battery life will last me a day at least, so I don' t need (or want) to carry extra batteries if I don't have to.

So, this means that I would have 2 options if I didn't buy a new charging unit that first discharged the batteries:
a) carry extra batteries and then switch them out when/if the first ones die, which I don't want to do.
b) start with fresh batteries and then when I get home use the camera to discharge the partially charged batteries before recharging them. Let's not forget that the camera has a auto-off feature that turns the camera off after 3 idle minutes. So discharging the batteries can be a real chore.

NO ZOOM:
There is no zoom. But my non digital camera didn't have a zoom either. This doesn't bother me too much. This could arguably belong in the "good" section simply for the fact that simple is better here.

BAD MPEG QUALITY:
I didn't buy the camera to capture mpegs, and this is icing on the cake. However, the mpeg quality is dismally bad.

Overall, I LOVE this camera. It amazes me that Sony was able to put so much into such a small unit.

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Best among truly tiny cameras, but be sure that'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 DSCU20 Cyber-shot 2MP Digital Camera (Silver)+B2 (Electronics)

As you can see from some of the reviews, 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 somewhat limited pixel resolution by zooming in just the part of the scene you want. 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.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sexiest Camera Ever..., May 13, 2003

By 

glenn phenicie (Nyack, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sony DSCU20 Cyber-shot 2MP Digital Camera (Silver)+B2 (Electronics)

Basically, this product could either get a 3 or a 5. It all depends on the needs of the user. I recently sold my higher performance digital camera (for which i had bought a couple high quality lenses) and replaced it with the Sony dsc-u20. The only reason for anyone to give this camera a bad review is because it does not suit their personal needs. The whole point of this camera is it's size and sexiness. The common complaints: no viewfinder, small lcd, no zoom. These features though (or lack therof for some) are what kept this camera small and sexy. Bottom Line: This camera can fit anywhere and it looks amazing. The picture quality is not bad at all. It boggles the mind to consider the size of this camera, EXCLUDING memory stick and batteries. If you want to take amazing pictures, get a nice 3 or 4 megapixel sony cybershot with optical zoom. Keep in mind though, that you wont use your nice full feature camera half as much as this one, as it is ten times as easy to take with you, and it wont discomfort you one bit to have it in your pocket during any regular activities. Keeping all this in mind, i give this camera a 5. I can take it anywhere with me and take good pictures. I never wanted to take my old digital cam with me anywhere because i had to keep it in a case and carry it externally. This baby can fit anywhere (around your neck even if you feel like looking like a tourist). Guaranteed to be the sexiest camera you've ever seen.