3rd Single-focus compact digital camera CYBER-SHOT DSC-U30
SONY Cybershot DSC-U30 review and photo examples
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Table of contents
Gallery
Review
1．Overview
The Cyber-shot DSC-U30 is a compact digital camera manufactured by Sony and released on June 27, 2003.
It’s equipped with a 2-megapixel, 1/2.7-inch CCD sensor and a prime lens equivalent to a 33mm focal length in 35mm format.
The chunky camera body sets it apart from the slim models of recent years, and will look quite unique in 2024.
2．Usability
I like the Cyber-shot DSC-U30’s compact size, which makes it easy to keep in a bag as an accessory, but the camera’s images are quite noisy even during daytime shots due to the combination of an early 2000s ultra-small sensor and 2 megapixels, and the noise becomes even more pronounced as the light fades.
The camera’s startup time is fast, so you can start shooting immediately by opening the lens barrier, and the shutter response, memory writing, and other shooting responsiveness are good.
The sliding mechanism that also serves as the camera launch switch can cause scratches on the body, which is a bit disappointing, but this is unavoidable given the design.
The recording format is JPEG only, and image sizes can be selected between 2 megapixels (1632×1224) and VGA (640×480). Regardless of the resolution selected, there are no recording waits and you can shoot comfortably.
The rear LCD screen is very small, at 1 inch with a resolution of 60,000 dots, and displays minimal information. Given the resolution, the preview display after shooting is only good enough to see the composition, and it’s difficult to determine the focus position, so it’s not very useful as a display.
The camera has only three operation buttons: a slide switch for switching between shooting, playback, and video, and the shutter release, so it’s undeniable that its operability is lacking.
The shooting range is 0.2m to infinity, but the auto focus mode rarely selects the macro range as intended, and the background is often out of focus.
A dedicated macro mode can be selected from the menu, but it requires pressing the menu button to enter the menu, which is a hassle.
You can directly switch between flash and shooting mode using the up and down buttons in the center of the back of the camera, but it’s strange that while shooting modes include night scene, landscape (infinity), and portrait (1m), there is no macro mode.
Old Sony compact digital cameras that use AA and AAA batteries often have deteriorated battery terminals. This camera’s battery terminals were also brittle with rust, eventually breaking and ceasing power. Since the sensor on my camera is still working, I’ve considered buying a junk camera with a broken sensor and transplanting the battery terminals onto it, but I’m agonizing over the possibility that the junk camera’s terminals may also be deteriorated.
3．Summary
In conclusion, to sum up the Cyber-shot DSC-U30, its appeal lies in its very small form, which makes it hard to believe it’s a camera.
The images it produces have a toy-like quality, like those taken with a toy camera, and are not suitable for recording purposes. You can really feel the quality of the images produced by digital cameras from an older era.
Specifications, considerations, etc.
The DSC-U30 is a slightly improved model of its predecessor, the DSC-U20. The DSC-U30 excels in the following five points, but to be honest, even if you use both models, the only useful thing about it is its compatibility with Memory Stick PRO.
- Uses a hybrid LCD panel that combines the features of both reflective and transmissive LCDs.
- Outdoor visibility is on par with previous models, while the contrast ratio indoors has been improved by approximately 3x.
- Zoom Playback Function: Zooms in still images by 5x or 2.5x (image panning is not possible when zoomed in).
- “Night Scene” and “Active Outdoor” modes added to Scene Selection.
- Memory Stick PRO compatible (high-speed transfer not supported).
- Charging time for the included rechargeable battery has been reduced from approximately 13 hours to approximately 6 hours. Shooting time has been increased from approximately 120 shots/60 minutes to approximately 150 shots/75 minutes.
| Items | DSC-U10 | DSC-U20 | DSC-U30 | DSC-U40 | DSC-U50 |
| Focal length (35mm version equivalent) | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 |
| Number of pixels | 1.26 megapixels | 2 megapixels | 2 megapixels | 2 megapixels | 2 megapixels |
| Sensor Type | CCD | CCD | CCD | CCD | CCD |
| Sensor size | 1/2.7 | 1/2.7 | 1/2.7 | 1/2.7 | 1/2.7 |
| Lens | 5mm F2.8 | 5mm F2.8 | 5mm F2.8 | 5mm F2.8 | 5mm F2.8 |
| Min distance | 0.2m〜 | 0.2m〜 | 0.2m〜 | 0.2m〜 | 0.2m〜 |
| Back LCD size | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Back LCD | 64,000 dots | 64,000 dots | 64,000 dots | 64,000 dots | 64,000 dots |
| Battery | 2 x AAA batteries | 2 x AAA batteries | 2 x AAA batteries | 2 x AAA batteries | 2 x AAA batteries |
| Recorded media | MS | MS | MS / MS PRO | MS Duo | MS Duo |
| Size: Width x Height x Depth | 84.5 x 39.8 x 28.6 | 85 x 40.3 x 29.7 | 85 x 40.3 x 29.7 | 82.8 x 39.0 x 26.0 | 99.9 x 40.5 x 24.9 |
| Weight (g) *1: Main unit only *2: Battery + media | 87 *1 | 87 *1 | 89 *1 123 *2 | 90 *1 | 90 *1 |
| Release date | 2002.7.20 | 2002.12.7 | 2003.6.27 | 2003.11.14 | 2003.9.19 |
| Color | Silky Platinum Silver, Metal Sonic Blue, Mellow Pearl Pink | Silver, Cosmic Blue, Black | Silver, Gold, Orange, Red, Deep Blue, Gray | Silver, Black, Deep Blue, Red | Silver, Black, Orange |
Options
- Soft Carrying Case “LCS-UJ” (White/Black) / “LCS-UK” (Blue/Red) *Limited Edition
- Fast-Charging Accessory Kit “ACC-CN4”
- Memory Stick PRO
- Memory Stick Adapter MSAC-M2
Since the recording media is Memory Stick and Memory Stick PRO, you will need to purchase an MSAC-M2 to use the standard Memory Stick Duo or Memory Stick Duo PRO. This is still available at Sony Stores as of 2024, and is incredibly affordable at 500 yen. Fortunately, the DSC-U30 supports Memory Stick PRO cards over 1GB, allowing you to use the high-capacity Memory Stick Duo PRO cards that are readily available on the market today. Inserting 1GB media into the DSC-U30 will allow you to take approximately 1,000 photos.
The previous models, the DSC-U10 and DSC-U20, do not support Memory Stick PRO, so you’ll need a small-capacity Memory Stick or an MSAC-M2 or Memory Stick Duo card without the PRO designation.
A warning about this issue was included in Digital Camera Watch’s 2017 article on the DSC-U10.(In japanese)
The previous model, the DSC-U10, has the same problems as the DSC-U20 mentioned above.
The DSC-U30 is compatible with Memory Stick and Memory Stick PRO.
The DSC-U40 and DSC-50 are compatible with Memory Stick Duo and Memory Stick Duo PRO, so the MSAC-M2 is unnecessary.
The waterproof digital camera DSC-U60 was released at the same time as the DSC-U30, so it is compatible with Memory Stick or Memory Stick PRO recording media.
A rough classification of memory sticks
| Product name | 容量 | Media Size |
| Memory Stick | Up to 256MB | 21.5mm×50mm×2.8mm |
| Memory Stick PRO | 1GB or more | 21.5mm×50mm×2.8mm |
| Memory Stick Duo | Up to 256MB | Transforms into a Memory Stick using the Memory Stick Duo Adapter MSAC-M2 |
| Memory Stick Duo PRO | 1GB or more | Transforms into a Memory Stick using the Memory Stick Duo Adapter MSAC-M2 |
Affiliate links
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- Italicized links in the text are advertisement links that take you to other sites.
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Reference links
- DSC-U30 & DSC-U60 News Release – Sony Official
- DSC-U10 News Release – Sony Official
- DSC-U20 News Release – Sony Official
- DSC-U40 News Release – Sony Official
- DSC-U50 News Release – Sony Official
Update history
- 2025.8.4
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