I’m an iconoclast, so I like film. There are many Dopers more knowledgeable than I. Here’s a thread for film photography: The Omnibus Film Photography Thread If you want to get into film, I might suggest a Canon AE-1 Program. It was my first 35mm SLR, and has automatic exposure, shutter- priority AE, and manual. Or you could get an Olympus OM-2n or a Nikon FE2, both with aperture-priority AE, plus manual. They’re all pretty inexpensive nowadays.
For a ‘real’ digital camera, there’s this thread: The Omnibus Digital Photography Thread. Digital photography is more modern and you get instant gratification, but I’m too old to really appreciate it.