Being a very keen photographer and collector of cameras (mainly film) to me it seems a crying shame to just lob away all that perfectly good camera gear (unless you are donating it to a good cause!!)  If you have an old film camera and lens heres 2 words of sound advice - keep using film and if you are going over to a DSLR keep that old lens.  Most DSLR manufacturers cameras can take those lens which you used when you were using film.  I have a few EOS mount auto focus lenses which I use with my digital SLR and they produce perfectly acceptable results.  The only slightly down side is that the sensor on most DSLR’s is different to the 35mm format - so for example a 28-80mm lens will become 42-120mm if say using my Canon 10D.  Companies like Nikon and Pentax whose manual and auto focus lenses are interchangable so can be used with both type of old film bodies as well as digital.  Canons AF lenses are usable on digital SLR’s (some independants lenses are not compatible) and Sony/Minolta AF lenses are all worth keeping.  So get out there and start shopping around for potential bargains.  However some sellers are realising the value of film lenses and are charging a pretty penny for second hand gear.  However dont despair - shop around on line or even in charity shops as you can pick up some good little bargains (I recently got 2 film cameras,2 lenses, flash, Cokin filters all for £20 - what a result!).  Heres another online tip - if you are looking for just a lens dont just search for that but have a look at cameras that come with lenses as these may be priced better than just a lens.  Whilst not being an expert on cameras its worth passing this little tip I feel.  Let me know any experiences or if you have picked up a real bargain.