What did it for me was a few shots I took from a digi cam I got as a gift from a friend in early 2004. I looked at those photos and thought, wow this is cool, no need for film development and the such. I could see the photo as soon as I plugged that card to the computer. It was amazing and I've been chasing that perfect shot ever since. Haven't gotten it yet. But I'm still looking.
This year (2006) I will atlast make an investment in a D70 (maybe a D50) and hopefully take my act to a different level. Though a better camera doesn't insure a better photo, I hope it does make an exception for me