Should I choose digital or film?
When you are considering investing in photographic equipment, you will be faced with making a decision about whether to go digital. Cameras that create a digital file, and those that create either a negative or positive on film, have advantages and disadvantages. Before you make a decision about which to buy, I think it important to consider the factors of needs, cost, quality and ease of operation.
Cost: Whatever your budget, a simple bottom-of-the-range compact digital camera may compare with a 35 mm film camera in price, but not necessarily in quality. To achieve a high quality digital image it will be necessary to spend as much as you would purchasing a top-of-the-range 35 mm SLR camera. So, unless you are computer literate and consider yourself a "happy snapper", in which case a digital camera is a perfect choice, you might like to consider buying a low cost scanner to convert your film and print images into digital images for internet, emailing and home printing.
Quality: Unless you are using a top-of-the-range digital SLR, or a digital back for a medium format camera (both of which you will find are expensive), you will not be able to match the quality obtainable from high quality film stock. While regularly placed digital pixels cannot match the fine grain of film, consider whether or not the level of resolution offered by film is really necessary. For the vast majority of images processed worldwide the difference in quality between film and digital can hardly be determined, unless perhaps a magnifying glass is used. If the image is destined for big enlargements (for example, even severe cropping can equate to considerable enlargement) or it is to go through the lithographic printing processes, then the quality variation would be far more obvious. In general, however, most people are not overly conscious of such things as colour resolution, image sharpness, and so on.
Operational advantages and disadvantages: There are a number of advantages and disadvantages when comparing digital camera systems with film camera systems. You may find that they vary considerably between users, whether they are beginners or professionals. For example, a beginner using a digital system has low running costs while learning. A professional sports photographer has deadlines to meet for publication in magazines and newspapers, so digital images are perfect as they can be emailed from the sports field and reproduction quality is good. A wildlife photographer, on the other hand, may prefer the higher quality of film for reproduction in books and prints.
Some digital cameras can be connected to a mobile phone for emailing. You can even take digital images with some mobile phones.