I was sold on the ultrazooms from Olympus, had three in succession, until we traveled to Machu Picchu with cruising friends. Comparing their photos (of the exact same stuff at the exact same time), mine looked totally washed out, no color. Friends had a less expensive Canon. Immediately I sold my Olympus cameras and bought a Canon point and shoot.

Fast forward two years. My husband has been encouraging me to buy an entry level SLR for years. I love to take photos and learning more about it would be fun, but I didn't want to lug around the larger camera. Now I find that the almost instantaneous shutter speed is worth carrying around the larger camera - mine is a Canon Rebel XSi, with 2 kit lenses, an 18 - 55 and a 55 - 250. I would happily trade the two lenses for one, an 18 - 200mm IS. The 18 - 200 lens costs about $600 FYI, but it would be worth it not to have to switch constantly. Both my kit lenses are Image Stabilized, IS, which is critical, especially on a boat! The camera with the 2 "kit" lenses was somewhere just less than $700 a couple years ago. Today, I'd just buy the body and buy the better lens so I didn't have to change lenses all the time, that's probably the biggest hassle for me.

I bought the Pelican case to keep it "safe" on the boat, but found that the camera wasn't ever available. A friend keeps his in a backpack always at hand and claims it's holding up fine, so I quit being over protective and started enjoying using the camera. I read a book that said if you are uncomfortable, the camera is too - talking about drizzle, rain etc. I don't use a case, but I do try and keep it mostly dry & keep a towel to dry it off the minute I'm inside again. But if I'm shooting on a hike and it starts to drizzle, I don't put it in a dry bag until it's pouring and I'm not overprotective with salt spray. I recognize the camera could go anytime, these are definitely not ideal conditions, but it's not a really expensive camera, so ...

These days I'd like a "real" zoom, probably the Canon 100-400mm IS. Problem is, that lens is $1650. Seems like a professional price and I'm not a pro, so I haven't justified spending the money yet....

Up to you, but if I were in your position and wanted to learn a bit more about photography, I'd buy an entry level Canon (or Nikon) SLR, don't get frustrated by carrying it around until you give it a chance (several months) and then take a look at how much better your photos are and enjoy. Get a book and learn to use the camera, not just the point and shoot settings - although the point and shoot settings are easy if you're in a crunch and really want the photo!

Cheers! Jan