It depends on what you want to photograph, budget and how far you want to go. If a DSLR with all the extras like lenses, tripod, bags and lights can soon put a big dent in your budget, but you don't have to buy it all tomorrow. Have you considered a bridge camera which are almost a DSLR but with one lens doing it all. It will give you all the functions of a DSLR without spending a vast sum on lenses.
I started out with a compact then brought a Minolta RD3000 DSLR before moving to a Nikon D70, D200 and the D3, adding lenses as I went along.
