My previous trusty camera

The AE-1 was a big camera for Canon; it sold a then-unprecedented five million units and blew away the competition. It featured an onboard CPU, which was a first when the camera was introduced in 1976. It was manufactured through 1984, which is a much longer run than I expect from my 20D! In fact, after 18 months or so in production, the 20D's replacement is widely expected to be announced next month!

I own two AE-1 bodies, and I haven't touched them since I went digital. I don't really regret this much, since digital has made me vastly more productive than before, and I get much more enjoyment out of my photography these days, but every once in a while I pick up one of my AE-1s and look through the enormous, blindingly bright viewfinder, and turn the lens' focus ring by hand. The AE-1 is a small SLR by today's standards, but built like a tank. Starving photography students everywhere, take note: for a film camera, you could still do a lot worse than to own one of these.