Camera with the closest image quality to an SLR?

Anything come close? If not what cameras out there come the closest?

"Image quality" is a loose term to me.

Are you talking about color reproduction? focus sharpness? narrow depth of field? something else? ...What are you looking for most?

If you say "all of the above," then only an SLR can fit that bill.

That said, the larger compact digital cameras (think S2/S3 IS, G7, Pro1) are quite capable indeed and will deliver results often very similar to what most SLR users produce.

im a big fan of DOF. i love pictures that look like you can walk into them. so lets go with that one.

Well if we go with that, the conclusion is SLRs are quite unrivalled in this regard. In fact, many who upgraded from a P&S-type camera to a SLR did so for just this reason.

The larger image sensor size on an SLR allows for physically larger aperture diameters - those used on 35mm interchangeable lenses. Hence, f/2.8 (the usual maximum aperture) on a compact digital camera would roughly equate to f/8 or f/11 on a 35mm lens --aperture sizes which don't create a shallow DoF.

If by "pictures that look like you can walk into them" you mean sharp all over, most P&S have greater DoF than any DSLR at any given aperture. However the smaller sensors and smaller sensor sites of P&S cameras are inherently noisier than those of DSLRs so the image, howeever sharp, won't look as "clean".

I have an S3IS & a 400D with a 17-85 IS. In reasonable light there is no discernible difference in the quality of the image, unless you crop and pixel peep. Obviously as light falls off and ISO's rise,then the 400D is more capable. It's also much faster to react,focus etc. DOF? no contest - 400D every time. But in all honestly if you are a serious photographer, who' doesn't want to spend a fortune, then I'd say the S3IS is 95% as good, 95% of the time. if it went 28mm wide in 35mm terms (the 17-85 is 28-135 in 35mm terms), then it would be 100% as good, 95% of the time and I'd sell the dslr gear. I often get tempted to, but don't ;partly brecause of that dslr edge in poor light, but mainly because I can't get that 28mm wide without some crappy converter lens.