[keepright]

(In the interest of full disclosure: I use 4/3 cameras, have a significant investment in their lenses, and the only time I've tried Canon or Nikon cameras I've bought something else.)

"Value" is a funny word. I'm not sure I believe in it: it's all about making compromises, and each system has its own to choose from.

The E-410 is one of the cheapest DSLRs at B&H right now, and it's a great camera. With the two-lens kit you'll have a pair of tiny lenses that are far better than their "kit" status would suggest, covering from 28-300mm (35mm film equivalents) with the only real compromise being that they're a little slow at a f/3.5-5.6. But so what -- most kit lenses have the same aperture range. You'll be quite happy with them. But if you need some low-light indoor photos, someone may suggest picking up an f/1.4 "nifty fifty" lens, which you can get for less than $200 for most brands. Except Olympus. There are other options -- the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 is a better lens on 4/3 than it is on other formats -- but they're more expensive, and are much less likely to be found used in a pawn shop than the legacy lenses left over from everyone else's film days.

Obviously, I don't consider the lack of a cheap fast normal prime lens to be a reason to avoid Olympus cameras, but other people disagree. There are certainly many advantages specific to the brand, but this isn't the place to go into them: a thread in the 4/3 camera forum would be more appropriate.

It's all about compromises.

Speaking with broad generalizations, going with a "minor" brand will give you technological innovations that don't exist (yet?) in Canon or Nikon cameras. Pentax, Sony, and Olympus (except for the E-410) have in-body image stabilization. Olympus introduced Live View, and still has the best anti-dust system. Sigma has a really neat sensor design that's literally in a class by itself.

Nikon and Canon offer the benefit of ubiquity and frequent product releases.

Deciding what camera to buy based on the price of the initial body isn't a great long-term decision. Buy the one you love in the system that will suit your needs, and if it means that you need to wait a bit, be patient. After all, camera bodies come and go, but lenses are (nearly) forever.