...I know this thread is pretty much wrapped up, but I just wanted to throw my tuppence in ;-)
As many people have pointed out, one of the things about a DSLR is it never stops with just your camera purchase; next you'll be wanting zoom lenses, fast primes, flashguns, etc.
However, the way I look at it is it's not even ten years ago that, whether you purchased a compact, bridge/hybrid or SLR camera, there was always the ongoing cost of getting your films developed, which, if you were genuinely enthusiastic about the hobby, could run into a lot of money, month on month. I learnt my camera skills on a Canon Eos300 35mm, and was unable to afford any other lenses beyond the kit one simply due to the cost of film processing, and this would've been the same regardless of whether I used a compact or an SLR!
Even only a couple of years ago buying a memory card that was capable of sticking more than a couple of hundred pics on it cost as much as a budget zoom lens; now you can pick up a 4GB card for around a tenner. And, of course, who doesn't have accress to the internet these days? As long as you stick your pics on more than one picture hosting site (as back up) you'll hardly need to print them, but if you do, you'll have the luxury of being able to be selective about which of those you wish to print.
Having used a Canon Powershot over the last couple of years, and having got some lovely results, I still found I missed the absolute control that even an SLR with just the kit lens give you.
So now I've ended up with a DSLR, and the money I used to spend on processing I can now spend on another lens! And another! And another! and another... :bonk:
