Verdict

It?s easy to view the Olympus E-450 as a reheated E-420, because essentially that?s all it is. The inclusion of Art Filters and a marginally better LCD screen don?t exactly set the world alight, but to be fair to Olympus, other manufacturers have hardly been at the forefront of innovation with their own recent entry-level offerings either.

The omission of video capture and a high-resolution LCD are understandable given the model?s price point, but it?s worth noting that the model is almost the only recent release not to have image stabilisation included in either body or lens. Presumably, this is in order to keep the body small and light, as well as cheap, and to draw a further distinction between the more expensive E-620 model.

In isolation it?s a capable model, and with the exception of image stabilisation there isn?t really anything ?missing? that we may expect on a comparable camera. If it?s a model you?re considering, though, I?d suggest you look first towards the E-420 to see whether it will provide what you need for a little less outlay.