Olympus has announced the new entry-level DSLR: E-450. It is an upgraded version of the E-420.
Detailed comparison of the new model are here:
- improved LCD - better luminance, no change in resolution or size;
- 8 RAW shoots in a burst (in E-420 they were 6);
- longer bulb exposure: 30 minutes (versus 8 in E-420);
- wider flash control: now +/- 3 EV (versus +/- 2 EV);
- new processor TruePic III;
- spot metering is said to be larger, covering 2% of the viewfinder area (versus 1%);
- 3 postprocessing filters (called Art Filters): Pop up, Soft Focus, Pin hole. The other art filters available in the E-30 are not inherited in this cheaper model.
The differences are welcome but somehow minor, so definitely an upgrade is not needed for whom have the E-420 already, while new customers will surely avoid the E-420. In other words, this new model fully replaces the E-420.
The Olympus E-450 should be available from July but ordering will start from May. Initial pricing in the US will be 699 $ with a kit including two lenses (ED 14-42 mm f3.5-5.6 and ED 40-150 mm f4-5.6), really not bad. In the UK standard kit lens should cost 450 pound.