Product Description

Sony's first ruggedized and waterproofed camera, the Cyber-shot DSC-U60 digital still camera goes where most cameras cannot. The DSC-U60 has a rubber body, fully weatherproofed with O-ring seals, making it watertight while submerged to depths of 1.5 m (5 ft). Designed for one-handed operation, the buttons are easily thumb-accessible with seven different scene modes including an underwater setting to adjust for the Blue hue of the water. The DSC-U60 adds compatibility with the next-generation Memory Stick PRO media and comes with Ni-MH rechargeable "AAA" batteries and an external charger. The DSC-U60 is truly a "go-anywhere" camera for the active adventurer.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #50309 in Camera & Photo
• Brand: Sony
• Model: DSCU60
• Dimensions: 4.38" h x 2.38" w x 1.75" l, .42 pounds
• Memory: 8MB
• Display size: 1

Features

• Durable for active lifestyle; waterproof up to 5 feet; one-handed operation
• Fast start up (0.9 seconds); built-in flash with red-eye reduction; 1-inch LCD monitor
• Includes 8 MB Memory Stick; compatible with Memory Stick Pro media
• Includes rechargeable NiMH AAA batteries and charger; connects to PCs and Macs via USB 1.1

From the Manufacturer
Capturing summer memories just got more fun with the new DSC-U60 Cyber-shot U Digital Camera. The DSC-U60's rugged, water-proof design brings picture taking to greater depths, even up to 5 feet underwater. Its unique vertical angle, designed for one-handed operation and fast start up time ensure that every shot can be captured. Includes 2.0 megapixel effective resolution, 1x Optical Zoom, 1.0 Hybrid LCD Monitor and so much more. Finally a camera designed for your sport utility lifestyle!

Features include:

• Active Design: The DSC-U60 has been designed to be durable, yet easy to use. With its unique "one-handed" operation this camera can be taken to more "Active" lifestyles such as the pool, the beach, while skiing, and even underwater; allowing you to capture even more spontaneous and creative memories.
• Waterproof (5 Foot Depth): Beach, Pool, Ski Slope? Splash Resistant and Waterproof up to 5 feet in depth, the DSC-U60 is the go anywhere camera for any occasion, for any weather condition.
• 1/2.7" 2.0 Megapixel Effective Super HAD CCD: Super HAD (Hole Accumulation Diode) CCD's provide excellent image quality by allowing more light to pass to each pixel, increasing sensitivity and reducing noise.
• Fast Start-up (0.9 sec.): Lets you capture your precious memories at the speed of life, rather than miss "The" shot, waiting for your camera to start up.
• Pre-Flash Metering: With a momentary pre-flash, the camera illuminates the subject and calculates exposure through the lens directly from the CCD for accurate flash metering. Adjustable flash level and red-eye reduction insure great flash shots.
• Memory Stick Media: Digital. Powerful. Transportable. Memory Stick media is compact, portable and rugged--connecting a variety of hardware and software applications.
• Red-Eye Reduction: The Red-Eye Reduction system uses a series of pre-flashes that causes the subject's pupils to contract, reducing the possibility of reflection from the back of the eye that causes the red-eye problem.
• Scene Selection Mode: With 6 Scene Modes (Soft Snap, Illumination Snap, Twilight, Active Outdoor, Vivid Nature, Underwater), the camera parameters are changed to match the shooting conditions.
• 12-Bit DXP A/D Conversion: Sony's 12-bit Digital EXtended Processor captures the range between highlight and shadow with up to 4096 values, for extended dynamic contrast and detail.
• 1.0 " Hybrid LCD Monitor (64K): Monitors the scene for accurate framing. The Reflective LCD absorbs and reflects the ambient light through the LCD to improve brightness in sunlight.
• Auto Bright Monitoring: To help framing in low or no-light situations, the CCD gain is briefly increased to provide an extra bright display on the LCD viewfinder just before exposure.
• Selectable Picture Size: Select 640 x 480 (VGA) picture size for on-screen viewing and email applications, or 1632x 1224 (UXGA) picture size great for photo quality 5" x 7" prints.
• VGA Burst Mode: Captures five (5) 640 x 480 frames, which allows for the ability to capture fast moving objects in separate files for viewing at a later date.
• MPEG Movie Mode (No Audio): Capture up to 15 seconds of 160 x 112 MPEG video for very small files that are perfect for emailing to family and friends.
• Playback Zoom: During playback, zoom either 2.5X or 5.0X on the image.
• USB Interface: Allows digital still images and MPEG1 movies, stored on Memory Stick Media, to be easily transferred to Microsoft Windows operating system compatible or Macintosh computers equipped with USB terminals. Simply plug in the supplied USB cable from your camera to the computer's USB port for fast access to your pictures.
• USB Bus Powered for File Transfer: Using the supplied USB cable, power is supplied to the camera, allowing for easy transfer of still images and MPEG1 movies directly from the camera to the PC. No need for an additional power source.
• Picture Effects: Select from 4 Picture Effects (Negative Art, Sepia, Black & White, Solarize) to add creativity to ordinary pictures.
• Picture Indexing: Finding a special picture stored on the Memory Stick Media is easy with the Picture Index mode. View four images at a time for convenient and quick access to your images.
• Rechargeable NiMH Batteries: Reliable power is provided by Sony's Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) AAA Stamina batteries with external charger.

Customer Reviews

Does what it says
The U-60 is a gem. I bought it for water sports and to have a small rugged carry-anywhere digicam (I also have an Olympus C-700 for more technical and telephoto shots). I keep it in my pocket and often get those "I wish I had a camera right now" spontaneous shots that I used to miss. It's fast to start, easy to understand, very user friendly, small to carry, and gets decent resolution pics. It goes surfing every time I do. Especially fun and useful is the "burst mode" that takes five shots in a row. It addresses that frustration of "shutter lag" and "shutter timing" that can happen with digital action shots. More info:

PROS:
Small, cheap, rugged, easy to use, good software, good battery life, decent resolution, well waterproofed, cheap batteries, burst mode, battery-saving lowlight LCD mode, card reader unnecessary.

Cons: No viewfinder, tiny LCD, no opt. zoom, burst pics are only 600x400. (although I adjusted to all these shortcomings and didn't miss them!)

For it's intended use, it excels.

Perfect for what it is.
Although the DSC-U60 has almost none of the features one has come to expect on a digital camera, it does what it does flawlessly. What it does is snap simple, hi-resolution photos in any environment without fail.

It has no zoom lens. What you see in the viewfiner is what you get, period. You point, you shoot, that's it.

It is (or at least mine is) really, truly waterproof. This is an absolutely essential feature for me, and is the raison d'etre of the DSC-U60. If you don't need a waterproof camera, look elsewhere. On the other hand, if you kayak, canoe, fish, or camp, it's really cool to have a camera you don't have to worry about getting wet. I've killed a number of cameras on river trips, and probably lost some great photos as a result. This puppy has been in rivers, lakes, and hot tubs, and hasn't skipped a beat.

The lens is great, the electronics are great, and the resolution is superb. Although 5 or 6 MP is becoming standard these days, the DSC-U60 takes extremely sharp, clear photos, good for printing or viewing on-screen.

If you need anything more or less than a waterproof point-and-shoot, you will be disappointed. This would be a really poor choice for a general-purpose camera. There are better, sharper, and easier-to-use cameras out there with way more features for much less money.

On the other hand, if (like me) you really need an indestructable camera for simple, high-quality snapshots, you couldn't ask for more.

Nice Camera!
I really like this camera. It takes great pictures. It easy to use when out kayaking. It has fallen in the water and been entirely submerged with no problems. It's sporty looking and very easy to use. I highly recommend it.