photo fun

so, my sister in law got a new fancy Canon SLR and i became inspired to learn how to use it. you see, i am prone to wanting new fancy things, without knowing why. this is a great example. i want a new fancy camera, Photoshop, and a new computer to handle all the creative stuff i want to do. for those of you not familiar with these items, they are expensive. it's not enough to just want them, i need to know why, and what i would do with them. therefore, i am trying before i buy. so, Renee and i took her new camera for a spin. it's pretty nice. these however, are photos i took with my camera, as i toyed with its settings and gadgets to match what we were doing with the fancy camera, so i would be able to point to the difference and say, "there, see, that's why i need some new fancy stuff." as it turns out, for now, i am happy with what i have. i like the way some of these turned out, and the only difference i noticed so far was how much i have to learn in order to justify the purchase of a new fancy camera. but, i would like to know from those of you who are good at this stuff, what do you use? cameras, photo editing software, computers, etc....and why? why is one better than the other, etc.? in the meantime i will be learning as much as i can!