are you looking for a small point and shoot or an slr? what kinda of pictures do you take? i think it makes a difference depending on what you plan to do with your camera.
i have BOTH a film slr and digital slr. both are minolta and they share the same lens mount which means my lens can be used for both the film and digital camera bodies. it works because the camera technology is such that the image stablization is in the digital camera body, not the digital lens like most digital slr cameras.
the major advantages of my digital camera is definitely "immediate gratification". i can tell immediately how it looks and show it to someone else. if there's something amiss in the framing of the shot, i can tell right away and take the shot over again. the disadvantage is that i'm not happy with the quality of prints from home inkjet printers. the printers i like are dye-sub printers and they all cost a pretty penny for the machine as well as the cartridges. and it's so difficult to find a quality lab that'll produce a good quality print and they cost good money.
the major advantage of my 35mm film camera is that i can develop and produce my own prints. i can totally manage the quality control. the quality of the prints is still better and even with the blemishes, it just feels more... "organic" and "real". the disadvantage is the cost and time. chemistry and paper all cost money. development at a good lab also cost a premium. as the popularity of digital increases and more manufactures get out of the business of film photography, the cost of film photography will just increase. and because i dont' get to see the results immediately, i often bracket and take additional shots just to ensure i have something before i leave. that translates to more film, more development and even then you're not ensured a perfect shot. and nevermind the time necessary in the lab to make a perfect print.
i mostly use my film camera to take shots for specific projects and mostly personal projects. i use my digital camera on projects for clients because it's more cost effective. i also use my digital camera just for everyday things that i don't plan to print or would be okay to print at a drugstore or consumer lab like target or wolf camera.
to my disappointment, minolta decided to sell off their camera division and it's been purchased by sony. sony is planning to adopt some of minolta's camera technologies to their new lines of slr cameras and continue to produce lens that are compatible to the minolta mount. my film camera is more than 10 years old and i've never had a problem with it. i'm hoping the same of my digital camera.
