Olympus E-450 review

Olympus E-450 Review

Reviewed by: Kevin Carter

Reviewed on: 20 August 2009

An update to the E-420, the 10-megapixel E-450 is Olympus' key entry-level digital SLR, and one of the most affordable available. It's also the smallest fully-featured dSLR with an optical viewfinder that you can currently find. It costs around £315 for the body only, £390 with the 14-42mm standard kit lens, and £450 with the 14-42mm and 40-150mm lenses.

Dinky dSLR
While the E-450 may not be as dinky as Panasonic's Micro Four Thirds-based Lumix DMC-G1, it comes very close. Also, while the DMC-G1 relies on a rather unsatisfactory electronic viewfinder, the E-450 has an optical viewfinder, which, while quite small and cramped, is still much clearer for composition and focusing than the very best EVF. Combine those facts with the inclusion of a sensor of the same size as the DMC-G1's, albeit of a slightly lower resolution, and the E-450 starts to look very attractive.

The E-450 resolves high-levels of detail across the frame with the 14-42mm kit lens, but it can't quite match the offerings of 12-megapixel sensors (click image to enlarge)

If there's a fly in the ointment, it's that the standard kit lens, the 14-42mm zoom, is slightly bigger than the Micro Four Thirds alternatives, but it's not a massive deal.

Comfortable handling
The E-450's body, layout and menu system benefit from incremental improvements made over the course of several updates since the release of the E-400 in 2006. The E-450 lacks a substantial handgrip, but, thanks to its lightweight body and some well-shaped grips to the front and rear, it's quite comfortable to hold.

Lightweight and small, the E-450 is comfortable to hold

Used with the optional 25mm f/2.8 (50mm-equivalent) 'pancake' kit lens, the E-450 offers some of the sweetest handling you can find. Add on the much larger pro zoom lenses and handling takes a hit. If only Olympus had made a battery pack to offset those front-heavy optics, as it did with the E-620.

Good pictures
Perhaps the most important difference between the E-420 and the E-450 is that the later model uses a relatively new image processor, TruePic III+. Don't think this simply adds the over-hyped Art Filters (there are only three on the E-450: the super-saturated 'pop art', 'soft focus' and 'pin hole') -- the extra number-crunching power brings noticeable benefits to picture quality. There are fewer white-balance inaccuracies for one, and slightly lower noise levels throughout the range, with maximum ISO 1,600 having better colour and detail than usual, with fewer distracting coloured speckles. It's a much more sensible balance. Bravo.