>>3904278I'd recommend something like a Nikon D3500 or D5600, preowned or refurbished, bundled with a kit standard lens and a kit telephoto lens. Usually they come with the 18-55 and the 70-300mm telephoto. They're not GREAT lenses but they do the job, and the 70-300mm should be good enough for basic wildlife stuff. Good macro lenses can add to the price, and some people sell cheap Macro add-ons that I don't trust, but maybe let that be your next purchase once you've learned a bit more.
You can find bundles like this on Amazon and Ebay for around $500 sometimes. And they usually have some slow memory cards, a cheap tripod, a basic bag, stuff like that. Not the best gear but that's what I grabbed to start last year to get started and it's been great. I've learned a lot. Eventually you can upgrade to some higher end gear once you know what you're looking for and you've saved some budget.
If you want to go new right out of the gate, you gotta save up. There aren't really any options worth seriously considering for $500. But for $1000, a whole tier of great new cameras with included lenses opens up. Sony, Canon, Nikon, Fuji, Pentax, Olympus, basically all the brands have good options at that price.
