I've heard a lot of people tell a lot of things about dSLRs. I've seen people abuse them, and in some cases, I have myself abused them. I've heard things like "it does not make sense to invest in one, unless you are going to be serious enough about it to earn from it". I know that an SLR lenses are tough to handle, taking shots in dark light, crowded indoor locations, and things like birds are tougher than P&S. You will also probably not take it out in the rain, or take tricky shots by bending out of vehicles and the like. No matter which dSLR you buy, a better and cheaper model will be available within three years. And apart from the investment in a dSLR, there is the investment in lenses, bags, tripods, filters etc. If you invest in Canon lenses, you cannot switch to a Nikkon camera tomorrow. I've seen people with prosumer cams get better shots than people with dSLRs. But, if you feel like buying an dSLR, go for it, because I've seen many who have no clue about photography, but enjoy using the SLR to no end. I am probably one of them.