Thanks for the input, and that is a good point about the lenses girsempa... depends on me again... will i continue to have photography as a hobby?  i hope so, but i tend to be one of those people who goes from one hobby to the next, i play the guitar (not much any more), i dj (not much any more), i do judo (not much any more)... so will photography go to the wayside like the rest?

Anyway current fervour for photography taken into account, it seems that i may be better off with one of these prosumer cameras.  The A95 is a very nice portable camera, but then there are other prosumer cameras out there which are seemingly portable as well. The Canon Powershot Pro1 i just took a look at and it looks like a good compromise between the A95 and an SLR.  It has a retractable lens, which is always a plus for portability, i might go see if the local camera shop has one so i can pick it up and have a feel for it.  Anyone else got a similar camera / price range, as this looks like a pretty good option (CF memory a plus because i already have CF cards for my A95)?

:)

"In every colour, there's the light.
In every stone sleeps a crystal.
Remember the Shaman, when he used to say:
Man is the dream of the Dolphin"

Rich Meadows Photography