Sony Announces The Alpha 450 DSLR

Sony has expanded their line of DSLRs with the introduction of the alpha 450. It seems Sony wants to come out with a camera for everyone, adding a 6th SLR for less than $1,000. The A450 has the same 14.2 mp CMOS sensor as the A550, but gets a cheaper price tag by losing the fast AF live view system and the tilt and flip LCD screen which is quite small, only 2.6 inches. On the other hand, the A450 gains a longer battery life which will allow for over 1000 shutter clicks per charge.

All the other features remain pretty standard across the alpha series including a HDR setting that doesn't require editing software ( I haven't tried it so I don't know how well it works, but I like the concept), four steps of anti-shake correction and a speed priority mode.

I am not really quite sure why Sony keeps expanding their line of cheap SLRs and the A450 seems just too similar to other models to get really excited over.  That said, Sony does produce excellent cameras (they are the manufactures of Nikons sensors) and the A450 should offer good value.

Will There Be An Underwater Housing For The Sony Alpha 450?

Despite Sony's growing line of SLRs, housing manufacturers have not obliged the Sony faithful, and housing options are, at best, limited. If you are looking to take the A450 underwater, you will have to wait to see if BS Kinetics, a German company, will make a housing as they are the only company to produce housings that fit Sony SLRs.