A few weeks ago, I very timidly ventured into the “online shopping for a DSLR” arena. I wasn’t sure I was going to make the switch, but I started seriously considering it.

And so began the inevitable Canon-or-Nikon debate. One day, I was sure I’d stick to Canon, and have the luxury of being able to use all my old film lenses. I’ve always been a Canon girl. Then another day, I was excited about the thought of making the switch to Nikon, with its punchy straight-out-of-camera shots and vivid colors.

Through all this back and forth between camera systems, I had to keep in mind that everything had to conform to a budget. A budget that slowly crept its way into scary territory. It still hovers there. Sometimes, it enters my dreams at night and I wake up in a sweat. Then I check my bank balance online, and manage to breathe normally again.

Welcome to my world.

Then, just yesterday, I saw these.

Jaw drop moment #1. Now granted, that’s Scott Kelby taking the photographs, and I am fully aware of the sad reality that no camera in the world can make me shoot pictures like he does. But, come on. These are practically straight-out-of-camera.

Do me a favor. Head over to Scott Kelby’s blog and check out his vacation photos. Those are mostly handheld, save for the sunset shots. Tell me those crisp colors, sharpness and vibrance don’t just jump off the page.

It thrilled me no end to find out that he took these with his Nikon D300 and the kit lens that comes with it (or at least it’s the lens that Costco offers along with the body).

The D300 just happened to be on my wishful thinking list of candidates, and his post just propelled it to the top position. And there it sat, pushing the limits of my budget, which was screaming for a restoration of sanity in my world of paltry finances.

Then. Then, then, then. I happen upon the video below. And my jaw dropped again. If you can, view it in HD. The compressed video below is stunning enough, but it just doesn’t do the actual footage justice.

That was from Dan Chung, a Guardian photographer. I couldn’t believe that was shot with a Canon DSLR and lenses on manual focus. The video was so clean, even though it was shot at night. You’d be hard-pressed to find any noise in there. This camera instantly impressed the socks off me.

Of course, I have no illusions of ever finding some hidden inner talent for cinematography. But didn’t that clip make you want to go out and shoot videos all day? And night?

I dug around a little more, and found this amazing video shot by the equally amazing Vincent Laforet. Again, with the aforementioned Canon 5D Mark II. With absolutely no file manipulation save for compression. Did you see the footage shot from a chopper? Incredible. Simply incredible.

Sigh. My poor jaw.

Thankfully, all this camera-comparison won’t actually affect me in a real way. It’s way deep into scary budget territory. And yes, I do pay attention to those screams for fiscal sanity in my head. My head can sometimes get obnoxiously loud, and no matter how much I want to tune it out, it still holds ultimate control over my wallet.

It’s almost a good thing that I don’t have the luxury of buying any camera I want. Otherwise, I’d be glued to this screen for days. ‘Cause, well, that’s how I am. I have this obsessive need to launch thorough research efforts, exhaust all possibilities, and explore all probable consequences before making any major decisions. Which, I guess, is the reason I try not to make any major decisions whatsoever.

(And no, the problem wouldn’t be solved by suddenly being able to afford to buy both systems. Because I’d still end up favoring one, which means the other will spend a lot of time just laying there, pathetically underutilized. And I truly, truly loathe waste.)

For now, I’m still happy with my little Canon Powershot S5 point-and-shoot. So I’m not sure I want to go ahead and add a DSLR to my arsenal. I’m kinda loyal to my equipment, and sometimes, I imagine my camera sitting on the table, hurting inside because it heard me getting all excited about these new DSLRs. I know. I’m weird like that.

If there’s one thing this whole what-if shopping has taught me, it’s that these are exciting times to get into photography. There is a wealth of choices available, across every price range, and however excruciating the process of decision-making, you really can’t go wrong with whatever ends up being your final pick.

I like not going wrong. I’m kinda normal like that.