The Pentax K1000.
My SLR, a Pentax K1000, sitting on my desk at home.
I got my Pentax K1000 when I was in OAC, maybe in september or october of 1998. It was an early Christmas gift. I really wanted to take up photography, and focusing with Rishi's Camera was getting tired. I really wanted my own camera, and my dad was quite agreeable when it came to buying me one.
The K1000 is a great camera. It's really solid, full manual, and quite rugged. I've lugged it around all over the place and it hasn't failed on me yet. If you want to learn photography and are looking for a solid camera I recomend this camera whole-heartedly.