I still have my entire collection of Olympus OM Series 35mm film equipment, including three bodies, prime lenses ranging from 18mm to 300mm, two 310 Quick Auto Flashes (first to use TTL exposure control), and a gazillion other accessories. I really love those tiny OM bodies and compact Zuiko lenses and would sometimes shoot with three cameras around my neck, but I haven't shot a roll of film in over seven years.
I digress – Back To The Future. I'd like to comment on one of the OP's statements:
Kyle Canon wrote:
Now, 30yrs post-college, I've changed all of my film gear to digital and am now getting pretty good results. Obviously the cool thing is not having your creative process put on pause while
you change film. You can also do more manimpuation in camera - something which I know is incredibly obvious to the likes of you folks.
You will only be able to take advantage of those in-camera effects and adjustment manipulations when shooting in JPEG mode or RAW + JPEG mode. The only in-camera settings that are applied to raw images are exposure settings (F Stop, shutter speed, Exposure Compensation). In-camera White Balance setting is stored as data in the raw file, but it is not applied to the actual image data. Choosing 'As Shot' in the LR Develop module next to 'WB:' will do that for you, which is the default setting. You can also choose any other WB setting, or create a Custom Setting.
So what should you do? I hate to burst your "digital bubble," but you're better off shooting with aperture or shutter priority setting in raw mode and then doing all of your manipulation inside LR.
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/RAW-file-format.htm
Think of raw image files as your digital negatives, and JPEGs as processed prints. Yes you can still work with JPEG files in LR, but with limitations outlined in the above article. Most cameras allow you to shoot RAW + JPEG in the "creative mode" settings, except perhaps the full "Automatic" (A) mode. Doing so places a JPEG file with the creative settings and a raw file with nothing but exposure settings applied onto the memory card. To Import both the RAW + JPEG pairs you will need to change a Preference setting in LR:
Go to the toolbar: Edit> Preferences> General> Check 'Treat JPEG files next to raw files as separate photos'
Last Tip of The Day: Never, ever move image files outside of Lightroom using Windows Explorer or Mac Finder!
Here's what can happen if you do:
http://forums.adobe.com/message/5192183#5192183
Use the LR Library module 'Folders' tree for this purpose, but there rarely is a need to do so. I use a top-level folder for each camera under 'Pictures' and Import new camera images to a folder using YEAR_MN_DY date naming. Use Keywording and Collections to "organize" your images, not folder moving! It is possible to use Windows Explorer or Mac Finder to move images, and then "reassociate" them inside LR, but I suggest only doing this for mass-moving of enitre image folder trees to a new hard drive.
Lightroom Rule #5: Enjoy!