Originally Posted by
bdjohns1
I agree with you on the first part - if you want to shoot MF, just get a good quality film scanner and a decent used body and lens system. If you think you might go digital, get a body that can accept a 3rd-party back in the future.
To the second point, though, I think you can learn from shooting digital just as much - you just need to force yourself to be disciplined - try to get it right in the camera. With digital, you get the benefit of instant feedback - with MF, you're waiting to get your rolls developed.
For what it's worth, I'm pretty sure I've never taken a single frame on my DSLR in Auto or Program modes. Most of the time, I shoot aperture priority, periodically manual. Unless you've either got a real bright viewfinder or a split-prism focusing screen (I've got neither on my D70, sadly), manual focus is more trouble than it's worth. As long as you know what your depth-of-field is and how to use that to your advantage, I don't think it really matters whether you turn the AF dial yourself or let the camera handle it.
I agree with this and also with the comments about the EXIF files for learning. As I said on another thread Im also looking into scanning film images and that seems especially advantageous for medium format. I think that the cost for medium format is still pretty horrendous in digital and Im not sure even the 39 mp Hassleblad would match the same camera/lens with film (pretty sure it wouldnt in fact). If you are going for maximum image quality in medium format, shoot film and scan.