The Lumix L1 is an awesome camera Choleric ...you would be getting the best optics available with its Leica lens -- Leica cameras are very expensive, so to get that quality lens in a better priced camera body is a very attractive aspect of the Lumix L1.
Canon do make some excellent DSLRs ...they are probably the industry leaders ....with Nikon also fighting for top position.
Notic has given excellent advice above ....ultimately, you should think about what it is you want to shoot with your new camera. If you are wanting to get quite serious about photography, then an SLR is a better option because you can then add to the system with different lenses in the future. However, as you already know, you can get amazing results even from a point-and-shoot compact camera too.
