if you want to fall head over heels with photography, get a cheap film camera, and get creative, read how to's about picture you like, and try it out, learn from your mistakes. and if you plan to have a large budget as the years go on, then get a cheap film SLR with a modern lense mount, such as a Canon with an EF lense mount, you can transfer the lenses over to a full frame digital SLR, or if you concider the conversion of smaller sensors on DSLR's you can just transfer them over anyway for a more telephoto effect.