[Fathom Zero]

Most of the goodness is in the lenses, and a good one from fifty years ago is just as good as one from today. It all depends on what you want to shoot. And SLRs have been around forever. My Pentax K1000 is the same model that's been made for the past forty years - they still make it today for a reason.

It's all in the glass and, in the case of digital, the firmware. Also, anyone "serious" about photography has way more than one lens. There are at least three very different types, (wide angle, the middle of the road one that likely came with the camera, and a telephoto lens), and a couple other artsy douchebag ones (pinhole and fisheye.)

Yeah, digital work is the best way to go if you're doing professional stuff. It definitely has the quickest turn-around and is best in terms of quantity.

I've been eyeballing some micro four-thirds that're way too rich for my blood, but oh so pretty to look at.