buying a new dslr

[JohnnyA]

Ok . I am looking, reading, researching and pondering. I have a Fuji Fine pix s1000. I am looking to get into photography as a business in the future. I am looking into some courses , build a portfolio and do some side work in various areas, build on experience, knowledge and get a name for myself.
My question is. What is my next step. I would like to buy a descent camera and lens(s) that can carry me through my quest. I am leaning towards the Nikon brand. I would like something so when the time comes this camera can be used as the backup.
Any suggestions or advice is greatly appreciated. As I mentioned, I am leaning towards Nikon, but I would also like to hear from Cannon users too.
Thanks

[inkista]

I think your next step is to figure out if you want to take the leap into a dSLR system. This basically comes down to "do you need the features?" and "do you have the money?"

A dSLR is not a straightforward "upgrade" to a P&S camera. It's a different way of taking pictures, and is considerably more expensive. But in terms of flexibility and features, it can beat a P&S camera by quite a bit. However, for some type of shooting, it may not make much difference, or possibly even be a worse move (i.e., macro shooting gets harder on a dSLR).

So you need to figure out what kind of shooting you enjoy doing. If you plan on specializing in any specific kinds of photography (i.e., sports, portraits, landscapes, etc.), that can point you to the system you want.

All the dSLR systems out there are great. But some are better suited for specific tasks than others. So knowing how you want to use the system and how much you want to spend are your first tasks.

You also need to be aware that completely unlike P&S cameras, buying the camera is the least of your spending. You're likely to spend twice to three times as much on lenses alone. Not to mention a bag, a tripod, a remote, a flash, etc. dSLRs are camera systems, and the body is only half the camera. The other half is the lens, and that's going to be the biggest difference between cameras: which lenses they can use. Not so much the body features.