Well, after a week or so of lots and lots of reading, and being on and off the fence, I pulled the trigger.
After reading many many articles and comparisons, and after looking at quite a few in person, I bought a Sony Alpha a350K with the 18-70mm lens kit.
Sony Alpha DSLR-A350 review Cameralabs verdict

I've only had it an hour or so, but so far, it is miles above the Cybershot my wife and I have. I can't wait to really explore the capabilities of this camera.

Just a few samples before the battery died

 

Its very possible that its the crappy moniter on my cpu here at work but the images look a little dark/underexposed. They do look very clean and crisp though, great pickup! I'm sure you'll have a ton of fun with it, DSLRs are addictive to shoot with

 

You are correct that they are underexposed.

I had the EV turned down a notch, because I felt it makes the shade of grey on subjects a little more "bold".

I'm very new to this world, and am just starting to learn how to use RAW editors and such. I know I have a lot to learn, and then some.

 

sooner or later you'll be welcomed to the world of LBA (lens buying addiction). good luck.

 

true story. I've been defending for a long time (2 years ) but I'm pretty much out of patience. I should be picking up a 70-200mm f2.8 and an 18-50 f1.8 in the near future

 

A few more shots (as you can see, I love the aperture settings)

 

haha, cool dood, glad you're liking it.

What's the market like for used-lenses for the Sony system? They bought up Minolta right?

 

not really sure on the used market,

but I'm already eyeing a telephoto for it to use at the track.

Nothing fancy - I wouldn't even consider it "glass". Just something to get me close
http://www.bccamera.com/index.php?main_pag...products_id=140

Sony 75-300mm 4.5-5.6

 

yeah, a tad underexposed. but congrats, you'll love it!

 

If you're looking for a telephoto lens, look at the new 70-300mm "G" lens. From the shots and reviews of the "G" lens, it's much sharper and faster/better focusing than the 75-300mm. It'll be worth the investment at around $700. I have the 75-300mm and don't even use it since it's not a very good lens. Another lens to look into is the 50mm f/1.4. Great lens with sharp images and would be a fun lens considering you like aperture priority. Other than that, look at some of the Carl Zeiss lenses and maybe the 100mm f.2.8 Macro. Minolta lenses are good and cheap but difficult to come by.

I had the a100 and now the a700 w/ 16-80mm Carl Zeiss and 50mm f/1.4 which are two lenses I won't give up. Check out www.dyxum.com for lots of Sony Alpha information. There's even a lens review section. Congrats and enjoy.