The DSC-U30 is one of the most compact digital still cameras available in its class and the successor to the popular DSC-U20, a model which introduced the concept of the digital... more
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(+) I am using mine with an 8GB Sandisk Memory Stock Pro Duo, which holds 1900 photos! (-) This is the sony's only cameras that doesn't have a Carl-Zeiss lens!
A review by pollybeanuk on Sony Cyber-shot U DSC-U30 March 4th, 2005
Author's product rating:
Picture Quality
Good
Range & Quality of Features
Average
Ease of Use
Very Easy
Durability
Excellent
Overall Look & Design
Good
Value for Money
Excellent
Advantages:
super - compact, hardwearing, clear pics, easy use
Disadvantages:
no zoom, only 2megapix
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Ok to call it a hotshot might be exaggerating but I can quite honestly say that for the price (about £130 from most shops or much less on ebay) and for it's size this is a really excellent camera.
I won't go into too much detail about the specs - you can view these on the product description but at approx 2.5x1x1 inches you can see this is a pretty dinky camera.
The size I would say has to be a major attraction. It's tiny and can easily be slipped in a pocket or handbag, or even worn round the neck with a cord provided.
MEMORY - In the form of a memory stick and if you want to buy more but don't want to pay for sony price there are plenty of other brands that are compatible with this model.
BATTERY - The rechargable battery life is quite good (i'm useless at remembering to recharge and this has lasted me a fair few days). What is useful is that it takes 2 AAA batteries which means that if you're abroad and have forgotton your charger you can easily replace them (although as a rule standard batteries don't last half as long)
PICTURE QUALITY - As a rule I prefer a higher picture quality but 2mega pixels is fine and the camera takes crisp pictures with automatic focus. You can also use the macro feature for close ups.
I also found that this camera takes surprisingly good shots in low lighting which avoids the unnatural glare you get when you use a flash.
The camera doesn't have a zoom but I would say that for such a small camera this really wouldn't be an expectation. If you want close up pics you can always use a computer program to crop your pics.
OTHER FEATURES: SLIDE LENS COVER - keeps lens clean and makes this a sturdy, hardwearing model
SELF PORTRAIT MIRROR - Yes that little dot on the front has a function. It enables you to preview a shot of yourself when you take self portraits. While this is not excactly going to make you run to the shop to buy it, it's a clever little idea not explored by other manufacturers. Perfect for the more vain picture takers or those Thelma and Louise moments when you want to take a spontaneous pic with a friend at arms lenth
PICTURE STYLE- you can change the settings so that you can take a pic in black and white, sepia and solarize it. Not a feature i've ever bothered to use really as you can always do this using a computer, and I personally think its a bit tacky.
TIMER- Self explanatory really. You can set up timed shots
VIDEO - You can take short clip videos - without sound, but this takes up a fair bit of memory. fun to capture the moment though
~SUMMARY~ Overall, a great little camera. Very simple to start using, just click and go really and a carry everywhere design!
Advantages: Extremely small for taking anywhere Disadvantages: poor pictures and oor battery life
...hoping that with it been Sony it wouldn't let me down... unfortunately however it did.
The first problem with this camera is that you take it out to take snaps so you can preserve the memories of your nights out etc... unfortunately however the ISO equivalent rating this camera has even when in great conditions is so poor that almost every single photo I ever took with it was badly blurred. The only way around this was to force people to pose perfectly ... ...which isn't what you want when you're trying to capture life.
The other major problem I had was battery life - to be frank - this sucked!!! Though it may have been a fault with my camera by the end but I could get no more than 5 pictures out of a fresh set of batteries if I was using the flash and barely more than 20 if I wasn't It was truly dire - and the extra modes we're both useless and over ambitious in such a small and limited camera.
If ...
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Advantages: Very small, quick to start up, automatic settings Disadvantages: No zoom.
...The camera can also take Sony memery stick pro, which can be up to 1GB in size. If you had one of those you could take about 2500 pictures.
Because of it's size Sony had to trim down on extra freatures that you would usually expect from a digital camera, such as eye piece, being able to plug it into your TV, resize and rotate the pictures on your camera etc.
It may not be a top digital camera with loads of extras, but if you want a portable point ...
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I won my Cybershot DSC-U30 in a competition that I didn't know I had entered, through BT internet. I love the small size of the camera and the neck strap is very handy, being as the camera is lightwieght I find it is very convienent to wear it around my neck. Equally it is small enough to fit in a pocket (even jeans!). The picture quality is quite good when set to the highest setting, though on the supplied memory card it only allows me 14 shots. ... ...am considering wether the camara is worth it's price tag as it is. I find that the lack of a zoom function is very frustating, the camera does take very good close ups, but you have to stand very near to the subject. That's all very well for taking family snaps but not very practicle at an air show, I know because I tried. So all in all a very good fun camera, and worth what it cost me. But, would I have bought it? I think probably not. Not having ...
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Advantages: Simple, Quick to use and easy to carry Disadvantages: No zoom, fingers are too close to the lens
...my top pocket - the Sony Cybershot U30 fits that bill. Advantages:
The U30 is small, lightweight and either fits in your top pocket or hangs around your neck using the handy strap supplied with the camera. Although 2 Megapixels is fairly low by today's standards, the pictures are still pretty good.
Its brilliantly easy to use, push the slide cover open and it automatically turns on, use the LCD screen to compose the picture and press the button. ... ...keep getting the blurred edge of my finger in the pictures.
Summary:
If you want a camera that you can carry easily, is simple to use and produces a pretty good picture, the Sony Cybershot U30 is a good choice for the price - it retails at around £120. ...
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Advantages: Very small, quick startup, looks nice Disadvantages: Only 2 mp
...I decided to get a sony as their products are usually of a high standard and started looking at the 3.2 mp cameras. These did look very good but they weren't as small as i wanted. I saw the U30 which was perfect, small light and stylish but i was worried about it only being 2mp. Since i got this camera i have been nothing but impressed. The picture quality is fine for normal sized prints and the colours look amazing. It has all the normal flash modes, ... ...night, outside, portrait and stop action. These features give some of the flexibility of an slr which i wasn't expecting. The thing that probably impressed me the most was the pre processing, you can set it to black and white or sepiar or negative before you take the photos which is a very nice feature that I've never seen before. I like the sepiar mode personally. It also has a 1 sec startup which is very handy for catching your friends in embarasing ...
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Advantages: Small, great pics, easy to use Disadvantages: No zoom, AA Batteries
...Having written a review on the SonyDSC-T70 and mentioned that my love of the Cybershot range started with this camera, I thought it only fair to justify this statement with a review. Behold the Sony Cybershot DSC-U30, successor to the U10 and U20. I actually bought this camera off a friend in June 2004 and paid him £80 plus a chauffeured journey from London to Gatwick (so about the equivalent of £100). This was one of the finest £100 I ever spent. The model is available in Silver, grey, blue or gold. I had a grey one.
I was off travelling round the world and needed a camera to capture my memories. This camera was perfect for this exercise as it was so small and compact. I was able to take it with me to places that I simply could not have used a bigger camera. I know cameras are small these days but this 2.5(w)x1(d)x1(h...
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Advantages: hardwearing, little pocket for spare memory card Disadvantages: expensive and quite bulky
...When I went out on the hunt for a case for my SonyCyber-shotUDSC-U30/S camera, I was looking for a few basic things:
1. The camera had to fit snugly into the case
2. The case couldn't be too bulky (there's no point in a tiny camera if the case is going to be huge!)
3. The case had to be sturdy enough to withstand being chucked in a rucksack and carted round for a few weeks.
4. A small storage place for spare batteries and memory cards would be useful
5. Perhaps most importantly, the case needed to be a reasonable price.
With these ideas in mind I went off to investigate all the usual camera/electornics shops nearby. I soon began to realise that I has little chance of getting everything I was after.
On the up side, all the cases were fairly sturdy, had storage pockets and were in gerneral within a reasonable price range...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
The DSC-U30 is one of the most compact digital still cameras available in its class and the successor to the popular DSC-U20, a model which introduced the concept of the digital still camera as a pocket accessory. The DSC-U30 is ultra-compact and ultra-stylish. A reflective disc on the sliding lens cover is cleverly designed to act as a mirror, helping you to easily frame self-portraits. New features make it easy to take great shots in challenging conditions. For example in Playback Mode, Enlarged Playback allows you to check the focus of a shot immediately after it has been taken by enlarging the center of the image to either 2.5 or 5 times its actual size, a feature which is particularly useful in low light conditions. New scene settings, Twilight and Active Outdoor, add to the existing Soft Snap, Illumination Snap and Vivid Nature. Sony has applied ingenious technology to create a new Hybrid LCD screen that performs as well in bright, outdoor conditions as in indoor or lower light environments. The one-inch, 64, 000 pixel screen has a smart way of using both transmitted and reflected light to maintain clarity, thus eliminating the need to switch between viewing modes. The camera provides impressive storage capabilities and image transfer is easy, making them an ideal accessory for the connected lifestyle. It is Memory Stick PRO compatible, giving up to 1GB storage and cable-free transfer to other Memory Stick PRO compatible devices. It is also USB-equipped and is supplied with software that provides direct image transfer to a PC; this can be done even when the camera batteries are empty as the USB cable provides power for the transfer. Image transfer software, which is supplied and easily installed in a PC, automatically downloads the images and sorts them by date to user specified folders.
31.10.2007
05.04.2005
