Pentax ME Super, 50mm f/1.8 lens (Score 2, Informative)

I know a lot of people here are going to recommend the Pentax K1000, but don't listen to them. The thing is, as much as you think you do, you really don't want "manual everything." You just want the option of manual operation. The Pentax ME Super looks and feels very similar to the K1000 (it's a manual focus, classy-looking rugged metal body), but it has better specs in every category, weighs less and is slightly smaller, and has the option of an aperture-priority mode, which you definitely want. As soon as you learn about shutter speed and aperture you will very quickly get sick of having to take your eye away from the viewfinder to get all your settings right, which basically amounts to turning a knob in an awkward position on the top of the camera until a needle floats into the right position. However, for those few instances where you choose not to trust the meter, the ME Super has a fully manual mode as well. Best of both worlds.

Pentax is definitely the way to go, though. The manual lenses (especially the later A-series) are top notch and definitely on par with Nikkor from the same era. It's photography's best-kept secret. And the best part is, if you later want to upgrade to a more serious autofocus body (like the MZ-S) or a digital SLR (like the new *ist-D) the lenses are fully compatible, unlike Nikon which has decided to cripple old lenses on their newer midrange cameras. Old Canon FD lenses won't even mount on the new EOS bodies...