My first 35mm camera.

Like I said in my first blog.  I had never handled a 35mm SLR before I got my 201.  Even at sixteen I had learned that jumping into something you know nothing about usually results in failure. I most definitely didn't want to break my new camera so I read the instruction book.  Nervously I removed the PX 13 battery from it's package.  Being very careful to handle it with my handkerchief, as the book said that oil from your skin could cause the battery to not work. (Today I just open the package and put them in with naked fingers, no handkerchief insight.)  Attaching the lens.  Carefully I removed the rear lens cap from the 50mm and the body cap from the camera.  Making sure I lined up the The red dots, one on the lens and one just below and between the "n" and "o" on the name plate on the prism, and rotated clockwise. You can't take any pictures without film (at least back then you couldn't).  So I carefully loaded the film.  Making sure it advanced.  Back in that day film speed was known as ASA or DIN.  ASA stood for American Standards Association while DIN stood for Deutsches Institut fur Normung.  Today we know film speed by ISO, International Organization for Standardization.  I had no idea what film to use but the local newspaper editor told dad to get me some Kodak 400 speed film.  Film loaded, battery in, (without being touched by human fingers) and lens attached.  But how do I know what speed to use and what f stop.  By the way what's and f stop. Back to the book. The f stop I found out was the opening of the aperture of the lens, like the iris of our eyes.  A lower f number and the more light was let in,  larger less light is let in.  Then it talked about depth of field.  Take a picture of a picket fence with a high f number more of the pickets will be in focus, lower number less will be.  Today photographers will go to great lengths to achieve bokeh in pictures.  I don't understand what the big deal is.  If you want one subject in focus and the rest blurred you increase your shutter speed and lower your f number.  Of course you have to do this in "M" or manual which many of today's photographers have no idea how to use.  To obtain the correct exposure on the 201 you looked into the view finder and moved the shutter speed or the aperture until the needle with the circle at the end was over the straight needle.  Very simple metering but it always worked and I still think it was one of the best meters I have ever used. The 201 had two micro prism focus rings in the middle of the viewfinder.  When it was in focus they looked smooth, out of focus and they were rough.  Not the best focusing system but I soon got used too it. Actually I got quite fast focusing the lens.  Which if you remember I never take too long to shoot a picture.  Later in high school I shoot basketball games for a local paper, with sports if you take your time you won't get the shot.  
Ready to shoot some pictures.  My first one was of my sister-in-law who had stopped by the house. From then on I've been shooting anything and everything. Looks like I've used all the exposures on this roll.  I'll load another roll and get back to you later.