This book is intended to help those who are discovering analog photography and considering investing in a 35mm SLR system. Nikon was the undisputed king during the golden age of 35mm photography; they produced twenty-five different SLR models from 1959 to 2001. For the young person who did not grow up with film photography, attempting to make sense of this diverse assortment can be a bit daunting. Nikon made many truly superior cameras. They also made a few lemons. Some of the great cameras are rare and expensive, others are just plain overpriced. Fortunately, there are plenty of outstanding high-quality Nikon SLRs out there on the secondhand market at very reasonable prices. This book attempts to guide the newcomer through the maze to an understanding of which of the reasonably-priced options are the best fit for one's preferred style of photography. Recently there's been an explosion of analog-themed blogs and YouTube channels. While it's encouraging to see so many young people enthusiastic about film photography, not all of the information available is entirely accurate. The bloggers and youtubers are sincere and well-intentioned, but they didn't grow up with film. Misinformation gets picked up and repeated and once it's been cut and pasted a few times it becomes enshrined as internet gospel. The sources of information hobbyists used to rely on are no longer available. Magazines with professional staff have been replaced by bloggers of indeterminate knowledge and experience. You can't go down to the local camera store and chew the fat with the staff and fellow customers about the latest and greatest. Today everyone buys online. Fewer people remember the days when there were two classes of camera stores, the one the pros shopped at and the photo shop where your mom dropped off her instamatic cartridges of family snapshots. The collective knowledge of the older generation is fading into oblivion. By way of background, I've been into photography since I was a kid. I developed my first roll of film in fourth grade and bought my first SLR at age thirteen. In high school I had a small darkroom in the downstairs utility closet. I am not, however, a professional photographer. The knowledge I am sharing in this book is that of a lifelong aficionado who simply wishes to pass down a bit of wisdom to the newcomer. I am an attorney by profession so if nothing else the book should be organized and well-written. I hope you find it useful.