Pentax Spotmatic: A true classic camera, and one on which many people started out (including myself). The operation is very simple - match needle metering and manual setting of the aperature and shutter speed. The construction of this camera also out-classes many of today's current "high-end" cameras - I would say this camera is more rugged than even a Nikon F4s. Of course, the Spotmatic lacks the features of the F4, but for general shooting the Spotmatic performs just as well as it's modern counterparts.  The meter is an averaging meter, so a little experience is required to know when to compensate and by how much. While this sounds like a disadvantage, I often find myself putting down my Eos equipment and coming back to a camera with an averageing meter for practice. Using such a camera teaches you a great deal about lighting and how certain things affect the negative - experience which can help you a great deal even when using modern AF cameras. For this reason, it's my firm beleif that if you wish to start out with photography, your best bet is a basic camera such as the Spotmatic or K1000 (which is a modern version of the Spotmatic with K-mount lenses). The experience you gain in lighting and the general mechanics of cameras will improve your photography far more than upgrading to modern AF equipment. As for the lenses, the Spotmatic takes the famous screw mount lenses, which are perhaps the most underrated and overlooked of all lenses on the market. While slower to mount on the camera, the optics are truly suberb - the equal of today's modern lenses, but at a fraction of the price. For those who do not change lenses often or who do not need to work quickly, the Spotmatic is a true bargain. As the bodies are old (most are 30-40 years old, if not a bit more), things do sometimes break, but the meter is usually the only part which fails (a $60 fix).  The mechanical shutter, with proper care, will last forever. Due to the popularity of the cameras, many reapir shops still stock parts for these cameras, or can easily find bodies to strip. Overall, the Spotmatic deserves it's place in history - not as a collectible to put on a shelf, but as a true workhorse to be taken down and used. If my father's Spotmatic had not died, I likely would not have upgraded to Eos as quickly as I did.

Mamiya 500tl: Another screw-mount body. I purchased this to replace my father's Spotmatic. Like the Spotmatic, operation is completely manual with match-needle metering. However, instead of having an averaging meter, the Mamiya has a partial metering area. The metering is about 10% of the picture area and is a rectangle at the bottom of the frame. It takes a little getting used to, but the ability to "spot-meter" is an advatage. The only drawback of this camera is that it will not accept Pentax SMCT screw mount lenses. Overall, a decent camera, but I greatly prefer the Spotmatics.