I'm still waiting around for when I can invest in a very high quality SLR.

Me too. My next camera (in a few years) will definitely be a digital SLR. I hope they get the CCD sensor reduced such that the focal length of the lens is not modified (multiplied).

But, depending on how much you're willing to spend, you can get some good deals. My friends at work got a deal with a Canadian photo shop. After the horrible US->Canadian money conversion (horrible for the shop, anyways), my friends got their Canon D30 body for $1700. It's regularly priced at $3000. After the additional accessories they got (battery grip, extra battery and 1GB Microdrive), I think final cost with shipping and whatnot was $2600.