Sony Alpha DSLR-A450 Pro Reviews

The a450 excites and perplexes. It's a decent DSLR, but when considered against the saturated Alpha range it becomes a little harder to place, predominantly due to the subtle price differences between the next models up and down the range. Performance is identical to the a550 where features match, despite the notable lack of Quick AF live view - arguably one of Sony's foremost features - and the smaller 2.7in, 230K-dot screen. For some potential buyers it will wrap up exactly what's on the wish list for under the £500 mark, so it does have some marketplace spread. Yet, with some competitors' more entry-level models offering more features, with the exclusion of super-fast 7fps continuous shooting, it's not necessarily top of its game. Certainly good, but worth considering if the a450 has all you'd want when pitched up against other closely-specced and similarly-priced models.

The Sony Alpha A450 is an in-between camera, neither as cheap as the A390 nor as well specified as the A550. It feels like it's been made down to a price rather than up to an aspiration, and the corners that have been cut are exactly where it will lose out to its more expensive but better-equipped competitors. It has outstanding performance, but that alone is not enough to sell it. If you want a Sony DSLR, save up a bit more and get an A500 or A550 instead.

The Sony A450 is an eminently capable but rather uninspiring DSLR that feels like the stop-gap solution that it is, designed to hit a certain price point in the market. The loss of Sony's clever Quick AF Live View mode is a particularly bitter pill to swallow, as is the 2.7 inch screen inherited from the entry-level A230. On a more positive note, it does benefit from the excellent ergonomics, solid build quality and long-lasting battery life of the A500 series cameras.

Sony Alpha 450 is something of a mixed bag. The fast frame rate might appeal to those interested in capturing action, but the biggest problem is likely to be the focusing system, which won't always give you what you want quickly and easily and the kit lens. The live view system lacks the AF too, so becomes less useful unless you are going to dive into manual focused static or macro work.