Above average speed for a consumer camera.

The Sony T20's performance is generally above average. Startup and shutdown speeds are above average. Full autofocus shutter response is above average, which we measured at 0.37s at wide angle, and 0.54s at telephoto. Prefocused shutter lag is incredibly fast, at only 0.008s. Shot-to-shot cycle times and continuous-mode speeds are also slightly above average. The flash, which doesn't pack much of a punch, takes about 6 seconds to recharge after a full-power shot - average for any digicam. Connected to a computer or printer with USB 2.0, download speeds are unusually fast, pretty much eliminating the need for an external reader. Bottom line, the Sony DSC-T20 is responsive enough to handle most family photo opportunities.

Battery
Very good battery life for a lithium-ion design.

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T20 uses a custom rechargeable lithium-ion battery for power, and a charger is included. We normally recommend picking up a spare battery and keeping it freshly charged and on-hand for long outings, but the DSC-T20's battery life is good enough that few users are likely to feel the need for a second battery.

The table above shows the number of shots the camera is capable of (on either a fresh set of disposable batteries or a fully-charged rechargeable battery as appropriate), based on CIPA battery-life and/or manufacturer standard test conditions.

(Interested readers can find an English translation of the CIPA DC-002 standards document here. (180K PDF document))

Storage
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T20 stores its photos and movies on Memory Stick Duo or Pro Duo cards (card not included), or in approximately 34MB of internal memory.

We strongly recommend buying a large capacity Memory Stick Pro Duo memory card, at least a 1GB card, preferably a 2GB one, to give yourself extra space for extended outings and videos. (Check the shopping link above, cards are really cheap these days, so no reason to skimp.)