fellow shutterbugs,i hope i can add a little something here.
for years i was using slide film in my Nikon and Leica cameras and then got lazy and bought a cheap used Olympus digital from Ebay.
i was coming home with a hundred shots,now it's a thousand with just a hand full i really like.
the camcorder bug got me and now i'm posting stuff on Youtube that really needs work to be half way decent.
i went to digital to save weight,my Nikon F with a 200mm lens was about the same weight as my Akto tent!!
projects i'm thinking about to get back to "real" photography include some easy trips with a 4x5 view and hauling the Hasselblad that's gathering dust no matter what the weight.
one last thing for my first post..if anyone knows where i can rent a wet darkroom in the South Mpls area let me know.since i moved all that gear is gathering dust too!!...thanks..
a 2 1/4 x 2 1/4 shot from a roll lost for many-many years and found last winter and processed!

your excitement is thrilling!!! as to all the other stuff you said, i'm totally lost, but i also love taking 1000's of photos and it drives my friends crazy. i'm an amateur amateur picture taker but i love it!