[AquaDome]

The SF1 is a big, mean camera that I absolutely love. Its silver vinyl case looks like a space suit.
The "Whack!" of its shutter and scream of its motor drive will convince the neighbors you are beating your children.
Put a big handle-flash with TTL cable on it and piss people off at weddings.

For a basic kit, one only needs a light-sealed body with working shutter & film-advance, a lens, and a roll of film.
That body could be any one of those mentioned, or any of a thousand others. P30, SF1, ME Super, Program Plus, and most of the ZX line can be bought from auction for $25 or so. Batteries for the light meter and/or winder might be as much as $10, or skip the meter and use the "sunny 16" rule. Most cameras will come with a lens, but an A or M 50mm f/2 is absolutely fine to start out with. I wouldn't give more than $20 for a M-50mm f/2 - its a great lens, but zillions of them were made. Film is cheap: about $2 per roll for Fuji Pro or Kodak Gold color/24, $3 for B&W.

My first "real" camera was a K-1000 with "nifty 50". I traded a gross of bottle rockets for it and used it for 20 years. You can get into film for cheap.

[stevebrot]

I don't need a DX code, I can think hard enough to set the correct ASA speed in all my camera!

Concentrate your entity, Neo


Steve

---------- Post added 11-12-14 at 12:49 PM ----------

A P30 is still the best value body for a beginner at the moment

I would agree except that the price point is about the same as a ME Super or any number of cameras that are not DX-dependent. If a person finds a nice P30n/t for less than $40 USD, by all means buy it for the fun of ownership if nothing else. But if there is a ME Super in similar condition for $55 USD, that would be the better value.


Steve

(...am a real fan of the P30n/P3n camera...)