Femme Photography

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My suspicions about the Cyber-shot U, Sony's newest, smallest and cheapest digital camera, were confirmed when I showed it to a friend over dinner a few nights ago. "It's so cute," squealed my companion, a woman not normally prone to Hello Kitty syndrome—that childlike enthusiasm some females have for anything fuzzy, pink or freakishly undersized. She did not ask if the camera, which is roughly the size of a Snickers bar, takes good pictures. She wondered if she could wear it on a chain around her neck like a lucky charm.

No, the Cyber-shot U (a.k.a. DSC-U10) is not a tool for the serious photographer. It lacks many features of more robust digital cameras in Sony's Cyber-shot line. On the other hand, the DSC-U10 is extremely portable, weighing just 87 grams including two AAA rechargeable batteries and an 8-MB Memory Stick card. Minimalist cuteness aside, this 1.3-megapixel digital is more than a mere toy.

To compete with the growing number of compact, relatively inexpensive digital cameras, Sony weighed in with a $200 model suitable for those who prefer their photography fun and uncomplicated. The DSC-U10's buttons and switches are wee things, but controls are well placed and easy to operate. I lent it to a stranger to take a picture; she did so without hesitation or instruction, unusual as many digital cameras seem designed for lefthanded Klingons. The DSC-U10's display screen—a menu for adjusting settings, reviewing and deleting images and so forth—does require a tutorial. Otherwise, the camera is about as point-and-shoot simple as a Kodak Brownie. USB is used for fast image transfer to personal computers, battery life is good, and there's even an MPEG-1 movie mode for those who wish to expend precious memory on blurry, soundless, 15-second video clips.

Simplicity begets sacrifice. There is no zoom and no optical viewfinder. To frame shots, you must rely on a dim LCD the size of a postage stamp, which makes aiming a matter of guesswork. Photo quality is also compromised. The DSC-U10's maximum resolution is 1,280-by-960 pixels, about one-half to one-third the resolution of other Sonys. The camera focuses automatically. There are only three options for handling shots of varying distances and lighting: landscape mode, low-light, and a setting for close-ups. At maximum resolution, images are surprisingly crisp. But, while detail is good, colors are a bit lifeless. Indoor shots, under fluorescent lighting in particular, have a disappointing drab tone—with or without flash. To boost image quality, Sony plans to produce a 2-megapixel version of the Cyber-shot U, but it will cost 35% more.

If you're willing to pay about $400, Minolta's DiMAGE X and Casio's Exilim line of digital cameras offer more features in subcompact packages. But Sony didn't make the DSC-U10 for Ansel Adams, after all. This is a chick camera, and if you doubt that, note it comes in three colors: aluminum blue, pearl white and metallic pink—the hues of nail polish. If you can live with that, you might consider this Sony to be worthy of wearing around your neck.