I guess it depends on where you consider the beginning. I used a Kodak FunSaver for a design class scavenger hunt, and the assignment got me looking at things differently. A couple of years later, I borrowed a PowerShot SD400 to try photography, but it was laggy and I wanted more control and better image quality.
The real learning started with a photography book and a borrowed Konica FT-1 with the 35-70mm f/4 lens, which I never really bonded with. I bought a 50mm f/1.7, which helped me capture the kind of photos I wanted, and soon I was taking the Konica everywhere. When its electronics finally fried, I decided it was time to buy my own camera. I've been shooting ever since.
My first camera that was actually mine was a Nikon Coolpix 3200 gifted to me in 2004. I had been occasionally shooting gifted 35mm disposables since the mid 90's also. I toted that camera a number of places.
I didn't really get into photography in a bigger way until college as I mostly had spent my time in other visual media before that in high school/early college. My dad's best friend and neighbor down the street was our local newspaper editor and photographer and he was a lifelong Nikon shooter who toted a D3 and 70-200 VR I while I was in college. I figured Nikon's must work well so I saved my dollars and change and bought a used D70 with a broken popup flash latch in 2009 off of ebay. It was paired with a 55-200 VR and the excellent 35/1.8 DX lens. My parents surprised me with a D90 when I got married a few years later so I let the D70 go (but did keep both lenses).
I do still have my original bought by me film camera, a Nikon FE2 (chrome) that came with a bundle of equipment (mostly flashes) and a few MF Nikkors that I was buying for the flashes. I sold the couple of lenses to completely cover the cost of the bundle and decided why not keep the camera since it seemed really nice.
