PENTAX ES - Canon EF - Nikon (Nikkormat) EL
...When "AE" (Auto Exposure) was brand new

(c) Frank Mechelhoff August 2020
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When "AE" (Auto Exposure) was brand new -
Top-of-the-Line first Automatic-Exposure SLR cameras  of the beginning 1970's, when they were really big, heavy and with hand-welded electronic circuits.

Pentax ES (1971) was the first aperture priority SLR in the world, but akquard because manual shutter speeds were only 1/1000-1/60s without metering. Self timer also missed, needed space for 4 -four(!) batteries. First ever electronic AE SLR, with 680g the least heavy of this bunch, but not my preferred choice. The electronics were added at the bottom of the camera, making it higher, and unable to stand with a lens attached. AE works with all SMC-Takumars - designed for open aperture metering.

Nikkormat EL, 1972, lower weight than the Pentax, (765g). Battery is placed unter the mirror (but last longer than the other cameras). Based on specs, the same camera as the later Nikon FE, but larger and heavier. I very much like this camera in handling, but for lenses I prefer Takumars and Canon FD. You need that "ritsch-ratsch" - coupler-pin//aperture-prong - when changing lenses to memorize them to the camera metering. If you still have some old Non-AI-Nikkors of the 1960's, this is the only camera which works fully AE/ open aperture metering. And it works that way with all old Nikkor SLR lenses, imagine that! (not so the Pentax ES or Canon EF)   Nikkormat EL with Nikkor P-Auto 1:25. f=105mm, legendary portrait lens

CANON (1973) made the best looking camera of that bunch, but the largest one, and with 760g quite as heavy as the Nikon. The Canon FD lenses are large as well.  All of them were newly calculated and superb. Batteries are where you expect them. Speed priority automatic exposure isn't a wrong thing anyway. To find a Canon EF *camera* is not that easy... The FD 50/1.4 and the 35/2 (with concave surface) are among my favorites.

Canon EF with the famous "concave" 35/2 FD chromnose lens. These lenses brought CANON back to the top!

All-mechanical-AE-SLRs (shutter priority mode)

The first focal plane SLR with autoexposure was Konica Autoreflex T/T2, 1968-1973: A beautiful, great design! But also quite large and heavy (780/737g), needs two batteries (Mercury PX675)
"EE" = Electric eye.