Starting in film photography?

[limr]

Yup, I can get E6, C41, and B&W developed by me (NYC metro area). I do my own B&W, but the lab I go to does do it if I ever get lazy And there are several mail-in labs that do developing other than C41.

As for the camera - as others have said, there are a lot of good cameras to start out with. How much control do you want? How much automation? What kind of lens compatibility are you looking for? Budget?

I started out with a Pentax K1000, as did thousands of students of photography over the years. It's a good student camera because it's simple to use, it has a built-in light meter to help with exposure, but everything else is manual, so you really get used to the effects of the settings on the final image. They are sturdy workhorses and there are excellent lenses for very affordable prices. Pentax has traditionally delivered excellent quality for the price. If you want more automation, there are later models of Pentax that are excellent as well.

Edit: Oh, and 23 years later, I'm still shooting with the same K1000. It's a tank and I love it