My first "real" camera was also a SRT 201. A birthday/Christmas/graduation present from my parents that I lobbied (begged) pathetically for. I shot so many rolls of film through it that the shutter curtain stretched. (I replaced it with a Nikon F2A.) I worked in a series of camera stores for a (long) while and always liked the Minolta products. They were very high quality for the money and less problematic than Cannon. I was disapointed when they merged with Konica and am very sad to hear this news.
I loved film, but I shoot digital now. I loved darkroom work, but I don't miss the dermatitis. Time marches on.
(I sound like my dad - always going on about how he missed his old Studebaker.)