Film is dead. Period. (Score 1)

I'm sorry to be the down guy here, but I and my wife have been in the photo processing business for over 10 years, and have seen steadily decreasing business as people switch to digital. George Lucas shot his latest film with a digital video camera. The exposure latitude and pixel count of digital cameras is steadily approaching film. Digital cameras are available for under $100. Not an SLR, mind you, but if you're interested in learning or starting amateur photography, a little digital camera can teach you just as much about composition and lighting as an SLR. You can get prints and enlargements from your DIGITAL camera at your local Eckerd Photo. If you are serious about getting into photography, then by all means, go ahead and get the beginners SLR--but buy a used one. If your interest is only casual, then invest in a digital camera. You can see the results of your composition and lighting choices instantly, and you won't waste your money on processing, only to discover that you didn't load the film properly. A final note-- DO NOT, under ANY circumstances, purchase a camera that uses APS film. Kodak thought they could improve on things, but really only made things worse with that abortion of a format. The negative size is SMALLER than 35mm, and the "wide format" feature is simply a gimmick.