I was a serious photographer also. As advertising manager for a large oil company, I was able to use the latest gear and dark room. Even had a black and white darkroom in my house for years.
We had some neat cameras including Hasselblad, Speed Graphic, some Nikon 35s, etc.
My favorite personal camera for years was a Mamiyaflex twin lenses 2 1/4. Not terribly expensive but a great camera!
I still have some pretty good cameras in the closet somewhere, but of course digital is so much easier now.