New Olympus E-450 previewed

[Four Thirds User]

Four Thirds User (Fourthirds-user.com) is a sibling site to the e-group.



Olympus third new DSLR in four months is the E-450, an enhanced version of the popular compact and light E-420. Find out what the E-450 has to offer in our launch preview.

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[Ian]

Re: New Olympus E-450 previewed

Four Thirds User (Fourthirds-user.com) is a sibling site to the e-group.



Olympus third new DSLR in four months is the E-450, an enhanced version of the popular compact and light E-420. Find out what the E-450 has to offer in our launch preview.

More...

The third new E-System DSLR in almost as many months - so with the advent of Micro Four Thirds, Olympus isn't committed to Four Thirds?

Ian

[crimbo]

Re: New Olympus E-450 previewed

Okay so early days yet but I am confused...
the 620 is a BLS battery based camera with IS so why the 450? a BLS based camera without IS... I wonder what the pricing differences are going to be?...

Anyway Ian, get us a sample of either and I will do a ful test for you

and yes Oly may not of thought of this but I am basing my upgrades on being BLS compatable ... you can only have so many battery types and chargers around...

[Ian]

Re: New Olympus E-450 previewed

Okay so early days yet but I am confused...
the 620 is a BLS battery based camera with IS so why the 450? a BLS based camera without IS... I wonder what the pricing differences are going to be?...

Anyway Ian, get us a sample of either and I will do a ful test for you

and yes Oly may not of thought of this but I am basing my upgrades on being BLS compatable ... you can only have so many battery types and chargers around...

The 450 is all about price. The E-420 will probably disappear, leaving the E-450 as the entry-level model. The E-620 is inbetween the E-520 and the E-30 and is a fair bit more expensive.

Ian

[StephenL]

Re: New Olympus E-450 previewed

I have to agree on this point. Battery life is shorter on the BLS batteries, as well as being a different battery to the E-5xx and E-3 range. It's about the only thing putting me off the E-620...

and yes Oly may not of thought of this but I am basing my upgrades on being BLS compatable ... you can only have so many battery types and chargers around...

[photo_owl]

Re: New Olympus E-450 previewed

I really haven't noticed any practical differences between the 400 and 510 or 3 batterywise - cold, heavy use of LV, constant reviewing etc all have a bigger impact than which one I walk out the door with. That said I am not arguing with the stated capacities and available shots - the BLM holds more power.

With regard to the 450 - I am slightly confused but cutting through it all I see a 420 with updated software that includes 3 art filters and face detection, and an altered dial that can access them. Have I missed anything?

[Ian]

Re: New Olympus E-450 previewed

I really haven't noticed any practical differences between the 400 and 510 or 3 batterywise - cold, heavy use of LV, constant reviewing etc all have a bigger impact than which one I walk out the door with. That said I am not arguing with the stated capacities and available shots - the BLM holds more power.

With regard to the 450 - I am slightly confused but cutting through it all I see a 420 with updated software that includes 3 art filters and face detection, and an altered dial that can access them. Have I missed anything?

The E-420 already has face detection. But useful differences the E-450 can boast include two extra RAW shots in the buffer (8 instead of 6) and up to 30 minutes Bulb mode instead of just 8 minutes previously. The spot meter mode now coves 2% of the frame instead of 1%. I wonder if that is to help AF with bright lenses work better?

Ian

[photo_owl]

Re: New Olympus E-450 previewed

Cheers Ian, that explains the 'technical enhancements' in your email then I guess.

Re the 1->2% I suspect that has more to do with the almost unusable nature of spot metering on subject with variation in them - I have a great sequence of a male pheasant hiding in the shade where they range from spot on to wildly over and under. I selected spot for obvious reasons but from review some shots were on the white specks, some the black and some the brown! CW might have been a better option but 2% spot makes a lot more sense than 1% to me.

[Ian]

Re: New Olympus E-450 previewed

Cheers Ian, that explains the 'technical enhancements' in your email then I guess.

Re the 1->2% I suspect that has more to do with the almost unusable nature of spot metering on subject with variation in them - I have a great sequence of a male pheasant hiding in the shade where they range from spot on to wildly over and under. I selected spot for obvious reasons but from review some shots were on the white specks, some the black and some the brown! CW might have been a better option but 2% spot makes a lot more sense than 1% to me.

My advice is to use spot for meter readings and then switch to manual

I did actually confuse spot metering with the central AF point

Ian

[shenstone]

Re: New Olympus E-450 previewed

Looks a tidy little upgrade at the entry level

I'm confused as to why it's 450 not 430 in sequence - they'll be getting to 500 fairly soon with that numbering and then we have real confusion

Me for one I'm happy to see this flow continue - 530/550 next or E-4?

Regards
Andy

[donmcmahan]

Re: New Olympus E-450 previewed

about the numbering sequence don't forget there was no E2. on the bls battery i suspect that the blm just wouldn't fit in the worlds smallest dslr, now a few years later as miniaturization has progressed maybe you could cram a blm in but the bls has become a legacy battery that they don't want to abandon.

[yorky]

Re: New Olympus E-450 previewed

Lets hope they hold off the E4/5 for awhile, I can't afford one?