A DSLR is a digital single-lens reflex camera, which is the big, bulky brother of the compact point-and-shoots favored by the digital masses. DSLRs are capable of taking far better pictures than point-and-shoots because they have bigger and better sensors, and because they have a zillion little settings that must be mastered to make those better pictures happen.

I found this post at The Tech Lounge listing the 10 reasons to get a DSLR. One of the 10:

7: Higher Build Quality: Most digicams are plastic, plastic, and more plastic. They feel flimsy and they’re not all that hard to break. DSLRs are built to much higher standards, increasingly so as you get into the more expensive models of course. Some of the cheaper DSLRs are still going to have a lot of plastic in them, but overall they’re more durable than a similarly priced digicam. When you get into some of the more expensive models in the $1,000+ range, bodies are ruggedized with largely metal bodies and nice rubberized grips. The ultra-high-end professional bodies are the most rugged and are weather-sealed so you can use them in the harshest environments without a problem. I don’t think you’ll find many war photographers using a rinky-dink digicam.

That post triggered a bunch of feedback which inspired, you guessed it, 10 reasons not to get a DSLR. Among them:

2. Portability, meet Window: This is sort of an extension of my first point. With a DSLR, portability goes out the window. To illustrate, when I travel with my DSLR I take a giant Lowepro hiking backpack, which holds my camera with a lens attached, 3 additional lenses, lens hoods, a flash, filters, my tripod, remote shutter release