I started out in 1972 with a Minolta SRT 101 with a standard 50mm lens. I have since purchased a Minolta Maxximum 3000si which was fully automatic. However, I've gone back to my original SRT 101 manual camera. I agree with a previous answer that a fully manual camera gives you some good experience with settings, lighting and doing your own "special effects". My original SRT 101 was stolen a few years back, but I've now purchased 3 of them on eBay for $100 or less - all in great working condition!(posted 9244 days ago)