My first 35mm SLR- what was yours?

Attached is a photo of my very first 35mm SLR from 1973 or thereabouts. A Minolta SRT 101! A camera that had already been on the market for 1/2 a decade. I saved and saved for over a year to purchase this camera.

I bought my copy at JC Penney - a large department store chain in the US for about $250 dollars at the time. YES, they used to have a camera department back then.

The "D" as in "dslr" was still was STILL more than several DECADES away :) Wonder what we will see in 2022 or 2032 ???

My copy of the SRT 101 came complete with a 55mm 1.7 lens which produces rich creamy silky smooth bokeh.

I still have the original camera and lens - which work just fine. Pretty amazing for an almost 40+ year old camera!

I would still use it to this day - except it would cost me about $1 per shot after film and scanning.

Still... a fun old camera to take out out on special occasions! Mind you, I give a lot of thought BEFORE pushing the button!

Sort of like owning a classic car perhaps ??? But MUCH more reasonable :)

I just LOVE that magical mechanical - click / thump sound as the camera shoots a shot!