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So, I'm leaning towards the purchase of a new camera... a DSLR this time around.

I've been looking at reviews and specs on the various cameras, and I've basically narrowed it down to the following in terms of price range/features/lenses.

Olympus E-volt E520
Sony A300k/A350k
Nikon D60
Canon Rebel XSi

I like the liveview features of the Sony and Olympus cameras as well as their in-body image stabilization.
The dust-cleaning lenses of the Nikon and Olympus stand out, but then, the image quality is something I'm curious about.

How do Olympus and Sony stand up to Nikon/Canon in those terms?

I'm hoping to keep under a $1000 budget with a lens kit, so right now, the most appealing in terms of price is the Olympus e-520.

In terms of memory, I'd like to have SDHC capability, so that would narrow it down to the Nikon/Canon offerings, but I'm not averse to choosing Sony/Olympus and having to get some CF cards.

Any recommendations based on experience, that would cause anyone to shy away from or lean towards any particular models?

I should mention the Olympus takes about a second from on-time to shooting capability because it runs its cleaning cycle any time you turn the camera on. So far as I know, the Nikon is the fastest in terms of "ready" time, and I honestly don't know about the Canon or Sony times.