With the age of 20 in the Year 1979, i bought my first Camera, a Minolta XG-2. With the time i get used with all the lenses available, macro, wideangle ,telephoto, fast lenses, later zoom lenses, other Minolta Models like XG-9 or XD-5. At that time it was nice Equipment and in the backview the lenses was very good. But i was always bothered about Automatic. Instead of thinking about the basics (shutterspeed,aperture) you think about what a automatic will do and how to push it to do what you want. In addition i got slowly the opinion, that heavy equipment will not automatically result in good pictures.
In 1981 i sold it all. Minolta is starting with autofocus, big black plastic batterypacks with lenses, i don`t like for shure. I noticed the Leica M4 at the local Dealers, but it was expensive, had the limitations of a rangefinder and no internal Meter.
I bought an Olympus OM-1 instead. I used this camera with 3 lenses for a long time, only interrupted by an OM-2SP for 2 Years. At that time i also bought a Trinovid 10x40, and until now i love to use it, very good optic and no signs of wear. Then the age of Internet started: I bought several Oly-lenses-cameras at Ebay.
Again i do make the mistake of heavy equipment.
When taking the Trinovid i remember the M4, now substituted by the M6 with Meter and more expensive.
I start to search for a M6 in Ebay and realise the possibility to fulfill my old dream. I sold most parts of my Olympus Stuff and bought a M6 with a 2/35. It was a big challenge after all the Years with a SLR, but now i get used and will never give it away.
Peter