there is nothing "almost as good as a dslr"
upside of a dslr - you can change lenses and upgrade bodies and keep lenses - every feature is better then p&s
downside, if you dont have any lenses, it can get pretty costly building up a collection - initial cost
upside of p&s - easy to take around, fit in pockets - can get quality camera's for under $500
downside - when they break and our out of warrenty, gotta buy a new one - not as flexable in regards to lenses - generally have slower fps and buffers
good camera site -
www.iPhotoForum.com - just about any question can be answered there... join and post away
in regards to "better safe then sorry" - i wouldnt say that is a good choice of words for this - because you could end up w/ $2000 worth of camera that you are afraid to take anywhere and may not fully understand how to use for sometime and get frustrated w/ it... most 4 and 5mp camera's can do 8x10(12) prints all day long w/ no pixelization problems