Good black and white film is lovely, it has absolutely amazing dynamic range (something which digicams really lack), and has a tonality that you can't really fake using photoshop.
Generally medium speed b&w film using a decent fast lens on an SLR allows you to hand-hold pictures steadily that you just can't do with most digicams, so when you're inside an abandoned building you can go without the tripod much longer than usual.
for amazing b&w check out:
http://www.abandoned-places.com
Someone a few posts back mentioned their old Zenit. This hunk of Russian tank is what I still use for B&W, and if anyone wants a cheap but good way to get into shooting B&W or slide film with an SLR, you can't get much cheaper.
For those who didn't know, the Zenit is a Soviet 35mm SLR ranging from the late 60s to the early 80s. It's 100% manual, so you do need to know how to manually focus and expose, but it's rewarding and not really that difficult.
I picked up a Zenit E with a 58mm lens for £5 last year. It's absolutey solid, built like a tank, and has taken some excellent shots. I also picked up a Zenit TTL for £10 with two extra lenses, and a Zenit 19 with a rare 50mm f1.7 lens for £5 in a charity shop. Dirt cheap!
You can pick up wide angle 28mm lenses for it, for about £15. Perfect for abandoned buildings.
My cheapo Zenit and a roll of B&W usually finds its way into the bag alongside my digital SLR, either as a backup or as an alternative to get a different perspective on the same thing.
I'll post some B&W shots from it as soon as I get access to my own pc again.
Cheers,
David