HOT: Sony DSC-U20 Digital Camera ultra tiny 2mp $243 shipped

[HAgEEmAH]

Forget about the canon elph as being the de facto compact digicam! This baby is approximately (1/3) the size of it. This is a HARD TO FIND camera. Most stores do not carry it. This is the ultra compact(same size as my v60 w/o the antenna) digital camera.

Works out like this:
Sony DSC-u20 camera: $269.99
shipping: free
tax: 0
10% off coupon: ($27.00)
----------------------------------------
$243 shipped

Bottom line: It's a Hard to find , new-to-the-market, very slick tiny camera. It turns everybody's heads when I shoot with it.

coupon is displayed on the front at www.goodguys.com
LINK: http://www.goodguys.com/adtemplate.asp?invky=384224&catky=764354

specs:
2 megapixels
mpeg movie(no audio)
87 grams
same size as my v60 phone w/o the antenna
super fast start-up(about 1 second)
comes with 8mb memory stick, nimh charger with 2xaaa batteries

Sorry if re-post. don't flame me. =)

 

[BeauJangles]

Considering I am about to buy a Canon S200, I checked out this camera..

Although this review is for the 1.3 MP model, it seems to me like this verison would be about the same.

Thanks for the deal though!

Edit: here are some CNET opinions about the camera, don't know how helpful this will be.

 

[Leejai]

This Camera is Awesome! It's literally the size of 1/2 of a floppy disk (but not as thin of course).

At $243, this is great and just about wholesale.

Only thing I don't like about mine is no audio with Mpeg feature

 

[MJGunn]

You really have no idea how small this camera is until you hold it. I was playing with one in circuit city, wanted to walk out with it right then, even though I've got a f707

 

[stingygrrl]

better deal--------

get it at circuitcity.com with MSN reward 20% back=$216

here's a review: cnet

"Optical zoom -Fixed" whatever that means

 

[MJGunn]

well, the 1.3mp one doesn't HAVE zoom. I'm guessing this one does.

 

[Splinter]

Originally posted by: MJGunn
well, the 1.3mp one doesn't HAVE zoom. I'm guessing this one does.

Fixed zoom, means no zoom. In this case, no optical zoom which is what you care about anyways, digital zoom you can do on any computer.

For those who are looking for an equivalent with 3x optical zoom, try the minolta Dimage X, or for the 3MP version, the Xi.

Good review sites not named cnet...
DC Resource
Steve's Digicam Review Site
Imaging Resource
Digital Photography Review

Personally I like imaging resource and dc resource, but all 4 are worth reading.

-Splints

 

[tmchow]

No optical zoom? gimme a break! I'll stick to my Canon S200 thank you very much

 

[Mike7]

Originally posted by: HAgEEmAH
Forget about the canon elph as being the de facto compact digicam! This baby is approximately (1/3) the size of it.

No, it's not.

The Canon Elph (specifically, the S230 or the S200) measures 3.4" x 2.2" x 1.1".

The Sony DSC-U20 measures 3.38" x 1.64" x 1.19".

That's 8.2 cubic inches, vs. 6.6 cubic inches. Or, looked at another way, the two cameras are about the same size in 2 of their 3 dimensions, with the Sony around a half inch smaller in the third dimension.

So the Sony is smaller, and that's saying something (since the Canon isn't exactly oversized). But to call it 1/3 the size of the Canon is nonsense.

Of course, in most ways the Canon is also a vastly more capable camera than is the Sony. But, hey -- life is a series of compromises.

 

[HAgEEmAH]

MY BAD. my eyes perceived it as 1/3 the size. the s200 or s230 weighs 180grams while the dsc-u20 is 87 grams which is approximately 1/2 the weight.

 

[babyjayc]

Thanks man, awesome deal since there's no tax and free shipping... PERFECT for pricematching in 60 days. I bit.

 

[Moogoo112]

What do you guys think about the casio exilim series of cameras... those things are slick looking

 

[sygyzy]

I pre-ordered this from Sony and it still has not shipped yet. I got the kit which comes with a 64 MB Memory Stick, charger, batteries, etc for the same price as the camera itself ~265.00. Cool huh? Anyways, comparing this to an Elph is pointless. Everyone with an Elph considers it their main or at least high quality camera. I know my roommate does. I bought this as a (albeit expensive) way to take pictures anytime I feel like. I can take it to parties, clubs, school, in my car, work, etc. I had a Nikon 995 and the size made it impossible to carry all around. It was a hassle. My Nikon 5700 will be the same way.

If you guys are looking for high print quality, zoom, speakers, movie capabilities, blah blah blah, choose the Elph. Don't mistaken what each is designed for.

 

[optimistic]

This camera is blue? This has to got be the slickest, most compact 2mp camera ever. And I like how it does NOT use proprietary batteries despite its extremely small size.

blue2
black

 

[Mani]

Keep in mind folks that if you are currently using compactflash, you will have to buy a memory stick to use with this thing, so there may be another cost involved...

 

[emonkey]

I bought the Sony DSC-U10 (1.3mp model) for the GF last week from Circuit City using MSN Wallet. So that cost me $160. Then I went to CC on friday and had them PM the BB 10% coupon moving it down to $140. So for this price its quite a steal.

now for my thoughts on the camera:

This really shouldnt be compared to the Canon S200, dimage x or any of the other tiny cameras with zoom. This has no zoom so it really isnt in the same league.

The camera itself is very good though.
Pros:
-Great Size (you really do hvae to see it to be amazed0
-Decent Price (especially with current promos)
-AAA Batteries
-Decent macro. So you can pretend you're a spy and take pictures of documents
-Great SUPPLEMENTAL camera. I really wouldnt want it as my only digicam which is why i am fine with 1.3mp.

Cons:
-No case. Considering how small it is then there arent any standard cases out there. $20 for the case from sony.com
-No zoom
-Memory Stick. The stupidest stick in the world. why does sony have to always be proprietary....
-No Viewfinder
-No audio on movies

 

[SherEPunjab]

looks sweet. good for parties, etc.

no optical zoom though

i'll stick to my 150 Fuji Finepix 2650

its stylish (not as much as the sony), but has 3x optical zoom.

 

[mdcrab]

Linkified

mdcrab

 

[optimistic]

Thanks for taking the time for writing the review emonkey! Has your GF ever have problems with taking blurry pictures by accident? With some point and shoot cameras, you really need to know what your doing to avoid taking blurry pictures:disgust:.

Sony Memory Sticks are $50 for 128mb IODATA or Lexar Media
For 64mb it's $19 or $24.

They are on sale every week at Fry's.

 

[hans007]

Originally posted by: Mike7

Originally posted by: HAgEEmAH
Forget about the canon elph as being the de facto compact digicam! This baby is approximately (1/3) the size of it.

No, it's not.

The Canon Elph (specifically, the S230 or the S200) measures 3.4" x 2.2" x 1.1".

The Sony DSC-U20 measures 3.38" x 1.64" x 1.19".

That's 8.2 cubic inches, vs. 6.6 cubic inches. Or, looked at another way, the two cameras are about the same size in 2 of their 3 dimensions, with the Sony around a half inch smaller in the third dimension.

So the Sony is smaller, and that's saying something (since the Canon isn't exactly oversized). But to call it 1/3 the size of the Canon is nonsense.

Of course, in most ways the Canon is also a vastly more capable camera than is the Sony. But, hey -- life is a series of compromises.

i've got a canon elph s100 and a dimage x right now. the dimage is around 3.7 x 2.0 x .8 . considering the 3x zoom and that a dimage x costs about $250 , it blows away the sony, not to mention MMC cards are cheaper than mem sticks.

 

[HAgEEmAH]

fyi, this is my 7th digital camera to date. i have ownned the following:

agfa ephoto smile(i got no props with this one)-$40 sucky ridiculous digital camera. got rid of it on ebay for $12 cuz it sucked. needing to take real pictures, i picked up the.....
fuji mx 1200(i got some props from guys)-which was a great 1.3mp camera, but had no extras. i wanted zoom, so i got rid of it and bought the....
canon powershot s100(i got props from girls and guys)-awesome 2mp camera, 2x optical zoom, but i got greedy and ended up with the..
minolta dimage x(i got a lot of props for 5 days)-this camera was pimp, until i lost it 6 days later when i went to go watch star wars ep. 2, so w/ only $160 i ended up with the....
olympus camedia brio d-150 zoom(nobody even cared i had it)-okay 1.3mp camera w/ 3x optical zoom. i got this cuz i had no money after dropping $400 on the dimage. but i went to circuit city and was almost about to exit the door when i saw the....
sony dsc-u10(all the ladies drool and ask me about it and if i could be there rich bf and buy one for them)-which was absolutely the smallest cool looking camera i've seen. being the impulse buyer, i thought about it for 1/2 a minute and than dropped the dent on my card. until i came home and went online only to find the...
sony dsc-u20(all the ladies drool even more and me about it and if i could be there rich bf and buy one for them)-which was absolutely cooler cuz it was 2mp and had the nice expensive finish as opposed to the cheap looking plastic the the dsc-u10 .

Well, out of all those cameras and about $1500 later, the minolta dimage x was awesome , but the picture quality looked video-like and not crisp. the powershot s100 had the best picture quality. and the sony dsc-u20 seems to have the fastest startup time + it's on my keychain.

btw, mmc is cheaper, BUT you will quickly find that mmc is annoyingly SLOW , so you'd end up buying SD secure digital cards for that dimage x , which are expensive

 

[optimistic]

LOL...Pimp Factor

 

[ETan]

Originally posted by: HAgEEmAH
fyi, this is my 7th digital camera to date. i have ownned the following:

agfa ephoto smile(i got no props with this one)-$40 sucky ridiculous digital camera. got rid of it on ebay for $12 cuz it sucked. needing to take real pictures, i picked up the.....
fuji mx 1200(i got some props from guys)-which was a great 1.3mp camera, but had no extras. i wanted zoom, so i got rid of it and bought the....
canon powershot s100(i got props from girls and guys)-awesome 2mp camera, 2x optical zoom, but i got greedy and ended up with the..
minolta dimage x(i got a lot of props for 5 days)-this camera was pimp, until i lost it 6 days later when i went to go watch star wars ep. 2, so w/ only $160 i ended up with the....
olympus camedia brio d-150 zoom(nobody even cared i had it)-okay 1.3mp camera w/ 3x optical zoom. i got this cuz i had no money after dropping $400 on the dimage. but i went to circuit city and was almost about to exit the door when i saw the....
sony dsc-u10(all the ladies drool and ask me about it and if i could be there rich bf and buy one for them)-which was absolutely the smallest cool looking camera i've seen. being the impulse buyer, i thought about it for 1/2 a minute and than dropped the dent on my card. until i came home and went online only to find the...
sony dsc-u20(all the ladies drool even more and me about it and if i could be there rich bf and buy one for them)-which was absolutely cooler cuz it was 2mp and had the nice expensive finish as opposed to the cheap looking plastic the the dsc-u10 .

Well, out of all those cameras and about $1500 later, the minolta dimage x was awesome , but the picture quality looked video-like and not crisp. the powershot s100 had the best picture quality. and the sony dsc-u20 seems to have the fastest startup time + it's on my keychain.

btw, mmc is cheaper, BUT you will quickly find that mmc is annoyingly SLOW , so you'd end up buying SD secure digital cards for that dimage x , which are expensive

that's a pretty cool way of reviewing something!

 

[sxr7171]

That's the best straight-forward review I've read in a while. It tackles the issues that are most important when buying fun electronic gadgets!

 

[ed1564]

Actually, wouldnt this be a better deal than the CC one with the MSN rebates

Good Guys charges no sales tax, and with a 10% off.

Both sites have Free Shipping

You final cost with the CC deal is $236.25 : 270 + 20.25 tax@7.5%) - 54(MSN rebates) = 236

So it is $6 more expensive to go through good guys, but dont have to wade through all the MSN crap and wait until Feb. for you money that you can only spend online.