I shoot film occasionally, but I use my old Minolta 35mms and don't know much about other camera bodies - sorry!

I have a Holga 135 that I've only used a couple of times. It works pretty well and takes decent pics, though not quite as weird/cool as a regular 120 Holga. It's kind of "too normal."

The Blackbird Fly IS nice, but too pricey for what it is, IMO. I'd say the Diana Mini or the Golden Half should be more affordable and would probably have the funky character you want.

I shot film three weeks ago and now its waiting in my fridge because I realize I have no idea where to get it developed....

I shoot film too: I mainly use a Nikon F80 and Nikon FM3a. You can get a pretty good-quality, solid 35mm SLR quite cheaply 2ndhand - a Nikon FM, for example, or a Pentax K-1000. One possibility could be to get a 'good' camera and add funkiness with filters or the lens.

Or get a funky-looking compact camera like a Rollei 35, or one of the original Olympus PENs. Or gamble on a vintage Russian camera like a Zorki.

Or just check out what cameras your local junkshops have: I bought a Mamiya 528 TL from one near me for £5, which, while its metering is broken and its focussing inaccurate, does have an appealing soft-at-the-edges quality in those images that actually come out...

For any of these options, if you use the camera any amount, the cost of film & development will soon outweigh the cost of the camera.

dabitch - I used to send my films off to Crimson when I was still in Sweden (and before I started developing my own).

misteraitch: you know, I saw an Olympus PEN (EE, I think) in a recycle shop today, in a case. I may drag the boy out tomorrow and have him help me with it. There was also a really nice looking Minolta A-2 that didn't look so much "funky" as it did expensive (and really, really pretty).

I briefly looked at a lensbaby. I've seen a lot of SLR bodies around here, but if I'm going to sink that much money into a body and a lens, I'd rather get the Natura mentioned above.

I do like how small the Rollei is. I'll see if I can find one.

And yeah, the processing is going to be expensive (I had a roll of chrome developed. The lady who rang me up had to double check to make sure the price was right). Though I'm learning to skip prints and go right for the CD. I'd skip the CD too if I had a good film scanner.

BoringPostcards: It's starting to look that way. There's another recycle shop here I neglected today that I plan on checking tomorrow.

dabitch: Japan seems to be holding on to film cameras a little more than in the States. In the last month I've seen more film cameras here than I have in the last three or four years in America. This also means getting film processed is easy. Even the roll of 120 I'm currently working on can be handled, though it'll have to be sent out. But still.

My mom is a semi-pro photographer of what I like to call "vegetables in compromising positions" and still uses film. She has a Nikomat from ~1972. I think it's because she likes chatting with the cashiers at the grocery store where they develop her stuff.

OK, update time. I went back to a few recycle shops to check out some options I had come up with yesterday. The first, while not under the "cheap and fun" requirements I outlines, was a beautiful Minolta A-2. I had the boy along with me, and he asked the salesman how much it cost. The salesman pulls out his cellphone, makes a call, and by his tone I could tell it wasn't a low price. He hangs up and says to me in very well-placed English, "It's junk!"

Option 2 was an Olympus PEN-EE, which was adorable, and which he managed to talk me out of based on it being old and in questionable condition. Those were the two front-runners.

Another recycle shop turned up a point and shoot panorama camera which I'm seriously thinking about going back for.

So, returning home, I considered my options, and went out for the Golden Half, which is sitting next to me right now, and will get some action tomorrow, provided it stops raining.

So thanks for your help, guys. I appreciate it.

Be sure to post some pics once you've taken some with the Golden Half!