2nd single focus compact digital camera CYBER-SHOT DSC-U20

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2nd single focus compact digital camera CYBER-SHOT DSC-U20

A review and photo examples of the SONY CYBERSHOT DSC-U20.

Table of contents

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Gallery

Review

  1. Overview
  2. Usability
  3. Summary
Before imageAfter image

1．Overview

The Cyber-shot DSC-U20 is a compact digital camera manufactured by Sony and released on December 7, 2002.
It features a 2-megapixel 1/2.7-inch CCD sensor and a prime lens equivalent to 33mm in 35mm format.
The chunky camera body has a design that sets it apart from the slim models of recent years, and looks quite unique in the 2020s.

Before imageAfter image

2．Usability

I like the Cyber-shot DSC-U20’s compact size, which makes it easy to attach to a bag as an accessory, but the camera’s images are quite noisy even in daylight, thanks to its combination of an early 2000s ultra-small sensor and 2 megapixels. The noise becomes even more pronounced in low light.

I own two of these cameras, and the lens tends to fog up, resulting in low-contrast images even in direct sunlight. The successor DSC-U30 only exhibits this kind of contrast loss in backlighting, so I suspect this is due to a change in the lens coating or deterioration.

The camera’s startup time is fast, and you can start shooting immediately by opening the lens barrier. The shutter response, memory write speed, and other shooting responsiveness are excellent.

The slide mechanism, which also serves as the camera start switch, can cause scratches on the body, which is a bit disappointing, but this is unavoidable given the camera’s design.

The recording format is JPEG only, and image sizes are selectable between 2 megapixels (1632×1224) and VGA (640×480). Regardless of which resolution you select, you can shoot comfortably without waiting to record.

The rear LCD screen is very small, measuring 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 help you understand the composition, making it difficult to determine the focus position and not very useful as a display.

The camera only has three operation buttons: a slide switch for shooting, playback, and video, and the shutter release. This makes it undeniably unusable.

The shooting range is 0.2m to infinity, but the autofocus mode rarely selects the macro range as intended, often resulting in the background being 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.

The up and down buttons in the center of the back of the camera allow you to directly switch between flash and shooting mode. It’s strange that while shooting modes include night scene, landscape (infinity), and portrait (1m), there’s no macro mode.

3．Summary

In conclusion, to sum up the Cyber-shot DSC-U20, 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-U20 is an improved version of its predecessor, the DSC-U10. The DSC-U20’s advantage is its sensor pixel count, increased from 1.3 megapixels to 2 megapixels. The exterior design has been slightly redesigned.

Note that the recording media is Memory Stick, and it is not compatible with Memory Stick Pro.

While these are also difficult to obtain, the MSAC-M2 adapter is required to use the smaller Memory Stick Duo (up to 128MB). This adapter is still available at Sony Stores as of 2024, priced at an incredibly reasonable 500 yen. A 2017 article about using the DSC-U10 notes this.

The U series, a tragic series of cameras, released six models between 2002 and 2003 before finally disappearing. For some reason, the DSC-U series is not listed on Sony’s list of discontinued cameras. However, the support center does have manuals.

Regarding successor cameras, the DSC-U30 supports Memory Stick and Memory Stick PRO, making memory cards easier to obtain.

The DSC-U40 uses Memory Stick Duo as its recording memory and is even more compact. The DSC-U50 is a swivel model with a movable lens, but since it was produced during the slump in compact digital cameras and only a small number were manufactured, it is rarely seen used.

The DSC-U40 and DSC-U50 are cameras with manufacturing defects, and unrepaired models will lose their ability to shoot over time. For details on the defect, please see here. It’s a paid article, but the first five lines should be enough to understand what the problem is.

If you see a product listed as working at an auction site, but only the date screen is displayed and no live view images are displayed during shooting, be aware that the sensor may be dead. Reputable sellers will clearly state that the sensor is faulty and sell it as junk.

The most confusing part of this camera series is the waterproof digital camera DSC-U60. Although it has the highest model number, it was actually released at the same time as the DSC-U30, and it supports Memory Stick or Memory Stick PRO recording media, so it’s important to note.

ItemsDSC-U10DSC-U20DSC-U30DSC-U40DSC-U50
Focal length (35mm version equivalent)3333333333
Number of pixels1.26 megapixels2 megapixels2 megapixels2 megapixels2 megapixels
Sensor TypeCCDCCDCCDCCDCCD
Sensor size1/2.71/2.71/2.71/2.71/2.7
Lens 5mm F2.85mm F2.85mm F2.85mm F2.85mm F2.8
Min distance0.2m〜0.2m〜0.2m〜0.2m〜0.2m〜
Back LCD size11111
Back LCD64,000 dots64,000 dots64,000 dots64,000 dots64,000 dots
Battery2 x AAA batteries2 x AAA batteries2 x AAA batteries2 x AAA batteries2 x AAA batteries
Recorded mediaMSMSMS / MS PROMS DuoMS Duo
Size: Width x Height x Depth84.5 x 39.8 x 28.685 x 40.3 x 29.785 x 40.3 x 29.782.8 x 39.0 x 26.099.9 x 40.5 x 24.9
Weight (g) *1: Main unit only *2: Battery + media87 *187 *189 *1 123 *290 *190 *1
Release date2002.7.202002.12.72003.6.272003.11.142003.9.19
ColorSilky Platinum Silver, Metal Sonic Blue, Mellow Pearl PinkSilver, Cosmic Blue,  Black Silver, Gold, Orange, Red, Deep Blue, GraySilver, Black, Deep Blue, RedSilver, Black, Orange

Options

  • “LCS-UC” (Blue, Orange, Red) Suggested Retail Price: ¥2,000 (excluding tax)
  • “LCS-UE” (Faux Fur) Suggested Retail Price: ¥2,300 (excluding tax)
  • “LCS-UD” (Camouflage) Suggested Retail Price: ¥2,300 (excluding tax)

Since the recording media is Memory Stick, you’ll need the MSAC-M2 to use the compact Memory Stick Duo card, which is available for purchase with this camera. As of 2024, this card is still available at Sony Stores, priced at an incredibly reasonable 500 yen.

The DSC-U20 has a drawback with its recording memory cards: it only supports Memory Stick cards up to 256MB, making it a bit of a hassle to obtain compatible Memory Stick cards or Memory Stick Duos with capacities below 256MB.

When using relatively readily available, small-capacity 32MB (note the megabytes) media, the DSC-U20 can take approximately 70 shots. A warning about this issue was included in Digital Camera Watch’s 2017 article on the DSC-U10.

The previous model, the DSC-U10, has the same issues as the DSC-U20 mentioned above.

The DSC-U30 supports Memory Stick and Memory Stick PRO cards.

The DSC-U40 and DSC-50 are compatible with Memory Stick Duo and Memory Stick Duo PRO, so the MSAC-M2 is not necessary.
The waterproof digital camera DSC-U60 was released at the same time as the DSC-U30, so it supports Memory Stick or Memory Stick PRO recording media. Note that it does not support Duo.

A rough classification of memory sticks

Product name容量Media Size
Memory StickUp to 256MB21.5mm×50mm×2.8mm
Memory Stick PRO1GB or more21.5mm×50mm×2.8mm
Memory Stick DuoUp to 256MBTransforms into a Memory Stick using the Memory Stick Duo Adapter MSAC-M2
Memory Stick Duo PRO1GB or moreTransforms into a Memory Stick using the Memory Stick Duo Adapter MSAC-M2
For detailed differences such as transfer speed, see Memory Stick on Wikipedia.

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Update history

  • 2025.8.7

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