Fight Club - Mid-Range DSLRs

Olympus and Sony bring on a head to head showdown, the newly designed Sony Alpha taking on one in a long line of Olympus' E-series. Which has the edge?

Olympus E-620		Sony Alpha A380

£670 with 17mm f/2.8 pancake lens www.olympus.co.uk		£500 with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens www.sony.co.uk
First impressions:
The lightweight by size, but not by power. The latest E620 doesn't look drastically different to previous models, but in keeping with the Four Thirds ethos it's elegantly small.	WIN!!	LOSE!	The stripped-down body may look better than the sharp-cornered models of old, and yet its lack of a proficient grip may less than amuse many users. The body can feel a little flimsy to hand too.
In the ring:
From a long line of Olympus E-series cameras, the E-620 has a lot of practice under its belt and by and large mimics a stripped-down version of the E-30.	LOSE!	WIN!!	Sony strives to better, and the new Alpha systems have made tweaks and work a little bit harder. There's room for improvement, but the A380 takes it by a whisker.
Shot at the title:
Utilising the same sensor as the Olympus E-30, images are high quality and only show some signs of noise. Expect perfect midtones too, with little bias to shadow or highlights.	WIN!!	LOSE!	The Sony shows no signs of running tired. It's particularly good to see improvements in image noise at higher ISO settings compared to previous generations of Alpha.
Bookies favourite?
The E-series is an affordable contender, and with Four Thirds compatibility serves up an extra helping of value.	LOSE!	WIN!!	At around £500 with the kit lens in tow, the a380 provides the sucker punch here. Old Minolta lenses are compatible too.
Special move:
Art filters provide immediate effects - such as pinhole, retro, and many others - without the need for time-consuming post production.	LOSE!	WIN!!	It's the Sony's lightning-fast live view that ultimately tips the scales. It speeds between focal points thanks to a secondary sensor in the viewfinder chamber.
Sensor:
12.3MP Four Thirds Live MOS sensor (17.3 x 13mm)	LOSE!	WIN!!	14.2MP CCD sensor (APS-C; 23.5 x 15.7mm)
ISO range:
100-3200	DRAW	DRAW	100-3200
LCD:
2.7in Multi-angle HyperCrystal III TFT, 230,000 dots	DRAW	DRAW	2.7in tilt-angle TFT, 230,000 dots
Viewfinder field of view:
95%	DRAW	DRAW	95%
Continuous shooting:
4fps	WIN!!	LOSE!	2.5fps
AF-system:
7-point (5 cross type sensors)	WIN!!	LOSE!	9 points with centre cross sensor
Stabilisation:
Yes, sensor-based	DRAW	DRAW	Yes, sensor-based SteadyShot INSIDE
HD Video:
No	DRAW	DRAW	No
Conclusion:
DEAD HEAT Olympus E-620 = Sony Alpha A380