We made pinhole cameras in grade school!
My Nikon F still works. The meter will never break because it doesn't have one. If you're looking for a shot that will go to 8X10 and hang on a wall, the film camera is still better but the gap is closing. Snow throws the metering system in all cameras off. It's trying to make the snow gray when in fact you want it to remain white. So for snow scenes take a meter reading and open up a couple of f stops. Use slower films for sharper pictures. It doesn't make any difference for normal prints but for larger ones you start seeing what you're giving up with that additional speed. You need the high speed film if your subject isn't moving. To achieve special effects use manual to control either shutter speed or aperture depending on what you're trying to capture. You're not alone in you doubt as to which way to go. My ex called me some time ago. She got a digital but then decided to go back to film. I went with her and we found one for her. She's happy again.
So, now I'm thinking - why not get a 3megapixel digital camera and save even more money...... 3.0 or 3.2 MP is still better than what I had before.
the best camera I ever got rid of was my 2.1 megapixel Olympus C2100
