Rating: 
Summary: TOOK A LICKIN & KEPT ON CLICKIN!
Review: Though I've not had experience with this U-20, I can comment on its predecessor, the U-10, which is a 1.3 megapixel version of this camera.When our son in law was deployed to Iraq in Feb. 2003, I wanted to send a digital camera with him. It needed to be very small and lightweight, but also needed to withstand the rigors of life in a fox hole. The Sony Cybershot DCS U-10 really came through! When he returned 8 months later the camera had been dropped many times and had a lot of scratches and dents. It was very dusty and gritty and even the memory card inside felt gritty. I was afraid the data on the memory card wouldn't be readable. But also, the little Sony had takin a lickin and kept on clickin! The pictures were very very good for a 1.3 megapixel. The photos taken inside the tents were a tad dark because the flash only goes about 6 feet, but overall they were good. The photos taken outside were wonderful. If I had to send another camera off to the Iraqi desert, I'd stick with the Sony and choose another Cybershot U. It may have its limitations but it was perfect for the need we had.
Rating: 
Summary: Cool, cool, and useful
Review: When I first saw the DSC-U20 at the Sony Style showroom in midtown Manhattan, I was totally awed. This is definitely the smallest digital camera on the market today, and the styling is superb, making it one of the things you want to own the moment you see it on display. Under the beautiful skin is a capable digital camera, with 1632x1224 resolution (good for prints up to 6"x4") and very good image quality. The small flash does limit its use in dark settings, and the lack of optical zoom sticks out as a disappointment, but considering the typical use for a camera like this -- quick snapshots, party memories, candid exposures -- the overall package is still excellent and the feature compromises understandable. (For the ultra-cool and compact digital camera with optical zoom -- 3X at that! -- I heartily recommend the Minolta Dimage X and Xi, also available on Amazon.com.) The camera's lens, rated at the 35mm equivalent of 33mm (which makes it a wide-angle), is well made, as is the case with all of Sony's cameras. The camera has center-weighted auto focus with macro capability, and also center-weighted auto exposure. Shutter speed is rated in the 1/30 - 1/2000 range, typical for consumer-class digital cameras. The LCD viewfinder measures 1", which is quite small but still usable to most people except those who need thick reading glasses. You get a few digital effects (black&white, negative, solarize, soft snap, etc.) when you do feel the creative juice flowing. You can also take 160x112 MPEG-format video clips, but I find this feature pretty much useless For power the U20 uses two AAA NiMH rechargable batteries. You can buy these batteries for cheap at Radio Shack, for example, and the camera kit comes with a recharger, although you can buy fancier ones that charge in less time and condition the batteries as well (actual benefit: unknown). I've taken about 30 pictures, all with flash, so far, and the batteries are still good. I definitely prefer these batteries to LiIon since 1) NiMH AAA is cheap and sold everywhere, and 2) they hold more power than LiIon and also have more rechargable cycles (i.e., they can be recharged more times). I'll update the real-world battery life rating once I get a better picture of it. Weighing in at 4.5 ounces with batteries and sporting the "I'm just cool" styling of Sony, the U20 is a little digital camera you'll love and carry with you all the while.
Rating:
Summary: The ultimate (so far) point-and-shoot.
Review: You definitely need to hold one in your hands to get just how insanely small it is.
All in all an excellent camera. The 8MB stick holds 15 pics at 1632 x 1224, and around 80 at 800 x 600. A 128MB stick would then give you an absurd amount of pics at either res. It conveniently turns on when you open the lens cover; you can do this single-handedly while pulling it out of your pocket, and you'd be ready to shoot as soon as you spot the LCD. The LCD itself, while small, is still very viewable and very good. Transflective, so you can turn off the backlight to save batteries. Batteries do take 13 hours to charge, but the super charger will charge ya a set at around 3 hours. The camera itself is ready to use right off the box; you get the rechargable batteries, the charger, the usb cable, 8MB stick, neck strap thingy and software cd (drivers, image transfer, etc). My only actual compaint is it's inability to get low-light pics. Strangely enough it'll brighten up on the LCD if you've got the flash feature turned off, but the pic itself will be recorded as dark. Granted, if you honestly wanna photograph still life, prone to glare and ruin your shot if flashed at.. you might be better off leaving consumer-level camera county. Although the camera in itself is entirely capable of shooting anything that can be shot at wide angle. Without optical zoom.. you're left with the ultimate point-and-shoot. Extremely small, extremely appealing, very good picture quality, tons of features.
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