What was your first SLR?

[GrahamS]

Alex, by today's standards, the Nikon F is built like a tank, it's heavy, and it's basic, but it will keep going when others have given up! It is also built to very fine tolerances.

[titrisol]

It was a trip of a lifetime, I ended up taking 5 weeks travelling to and through the river all the way to Brasil. I guess I enjoyed it in a different way by knowing that I didn't have a camera
I guess I took time to see things without the urge to capture them and maybe I took more risks since I was not worried of breaking the camera
Those things happen and we have to move on

Ouch! No evidences of the trip! You have to come back
When at Rome at 14 years old during school trip and after visit Forum and such I accidentally opened the camera gate and film got spoiled, I bought another roll and the day after I went myself alone to do the photos one more time.

[titrisol]

Nikon F was and is a TANK!
an incredible combination of fine mechanical tolerances, flexibility and survivability

I just tested one of these Nikon F with that lens and the 105mm Nikkor, nice cameras!! At minimum thing I did they went back to work perfectly.

[George_in_Georgia]

A Komaflex S, by Kowa. This is a 127 leaf shutter SLR. I bought it in, IIRC, about 1961. I still have it; it is a pleasant user: f2.8 lens, auto film stop, manual shutter cocking. The front cell focusing lens has 4 elements, probably a Tessar formula and as such is sharp. Super slides from it are a delight, since they will project in a 35mm projector they have real impact when following a 35mm offering.
Sadly its auto diaphragm isn't stopping down. I gather that a repair wouldn't be cheap, that and given the limited availability of 127 film means that it sits as a shelf queen. Here is Mike Elek's take on the Komaflex S: http://elekm.net/pages/cameras/komaflex-s.htm
I'd like to hear from other Koma owners out there....