Sony DSC-U60 Review
By: Steve's Digicams


CyberShot DSC-U60
Posted 7/29/03
Click on the DSC-U60 to take a QuickTime VR tour
Capturing summer memories on the beach or at a nightclub just got more fun with the new Cyber-shot® U-60 digital camera. The DSC-U60's ruggedized and waterproof design brings picture taking to places users would be cautious in taking a conventional camera: the ski slope, the beach, the side of a mountain, even up to 5 feet underwater.
Fully weatherproofed with O-ring sealing closures, the new Cyber-shot U60 unit is a digital camera designed to meet the rigors of an active lifestyle. Its unique vertical orientation (designed for one-handed operation) and fast start up time (less than a second) ensure that the user remains a part of the activity even when taking a picture.
Adding to that experience, the Cyber-shot U60 model's buttons are laid out to be easily accessible with the thumb. With a few clicks of the Scene button, users can switch between seven different scene modes, including an underwater setting (noted by a fish icon) to adjust for the blue hue of water and an action setting (noted by a running man icon) to capture fast moving subjects.
For one-step USB photo transfer from the camera to a PC, the camera comes bundled with Sony's new Image Transfer software - a completely automated, plug-and-play program that offers quick downloading and storing of all digital photos.
DSC-U60 features:
- 2.0 Megapixel CCD for up to 1632x1224 images
- Waterproof to a depth of five feet
- 1.0-inch, backlit reflective color TFT LCD;
- MPEG video recording (w/o audio) in 15-sec 160x112 clips;
- Soft Snap Scene Mode for warmer skin tones;
- Underwater Scene Mode to counteract the blue hue of water;
- VGA Burst mode captures up to five 640x480 frames at 2 frames/second;
- 4 Mode Intelligent Flash with TTL Pre-flash metering and Red Eye Reduction;
- Picture Effects: Negative Art, Sepia, Black & White, and Solarize;
- Flash Modes: Auto, Auto Red Eye Reduction, Forced Flash, and No Flash;
- USB 1.1 connectivity
- "AAA" Rechargeable NiMH Batteries and Charger included,
- Sony Memory Stick and Memory Stick Pro media
- OS Compatibility: Microsoft® Windows® 98 / 98SE / Me / 2000, Professional, XP Home and Professional, Macintosh® OS 8.5.1 / 8.6 / 9.0 / 9.1 / 9.2, Mac OS X 10.0 / 10.1
Supplied Accessories: "AAA" Rechargeable NiMH Batteries, Battery Charger, USB Cable, MSA-8A(8MB Memory Stick media), Wrist Strap, Software CD-ROM.

The DSC-U60 is available now for about $249 (July 2003).
Physical Views


 

The super-compact DSC-U30 and the DSC-U60. |
Cyber-Shot DSC-U60 Specifications
Imager |
1/2.7" 2.0 Megapixel effective Super HAD CCD | Image Sizes |
Still: 1632x1224, 640x480 MPEG: 160x112 Burst: Up to five images @ 640x480 at 2fps | Recording Formats |
Still: JPEG Movie: MPEG EX 160x112 in 15sec clips, no audio | A/D Conversion |
12-bit DXP | Lens |
Sony single focal length 5.0mm (33mm 35mm equiv) F/2.8 No filter threads | Focus |
Auto Focus: (center weighted) 3.9 inches to infinity Manual Focus: 4-Step Manual Preset from
3.9 inches to infinity | ISO Sensitivity |
Auto | White Balance |
Auto | Exposure Metering |
Auto | Shutter Speeds |
Automatic (1/8 to 1/2000) | Exposure Compensation |
N/A | Flash Modes |
Auto, Auto Redeye, Forced, and Off | Flash Range |
1.6 to 6.0 feet (0.5m to 1.8m) | Color LCD |
Color LCD: 1.0" 64K Pixels TFT Reflective LCD w/backlight(on/off option) | Picture Effects |
Solarize, Black & White, Sepia, and Negative Art | Playback Zoom |
none | Playback Index |
4 frames | Storage Supplied |
8MB Memory Stick, use any Memory Stick or Memory Stick Pro | Connections |
USB 1.1 | Battery Supplied |
2x AAA NiMH and charger | Supplied Software |
Pixela® ImageMixer for Sony v1.0, Sony SPVD-008 USB driver | Dimensions |
2 3/8 x 4 3/8 x 1 3/4 inches (60.2 x 116.8 x 43.3mm) | Weight |
6.7 oz. (191g) w/Batteries, Memory Stick Media, and Neck Strap | OS Compatibility |
Microsoft® Windows® 98 / 98SE / Me / 2000, Professional, XP Home and Professional, Macintosh® OS 8.5.1 / 8.6 / 9.0 / 9.1 / 9.2, Mac OS X 10.0 / 10.1 | Specifications are as represented by the manufacturer. |
Visitors of Steves can visit the stores below for real-time pricing and availability. You can also find hot, soon to expire online offers on a variety of cameras and accessories at our very own Camera Deals page.