Photography experts need your help

[calfzilla]

I need to know what camera is best to get for beginner wildlife photography?  Budget 1-300 dollars. New or used ok.

[Princess L]

I need to know what camera is best to get for beginner wildlife photography?  Budget 1-300 dollars. New or used ok.

Ron might have some suggestions, although his style of photography is very different.  Sync Pulse might know too.

I'd definitely go for a camera made by a camera manufacturer like Nikon or Olympus, not a brand name that has their name on everything from TVs to printers.

[sync pulse]

I am assuming digital...get the highest pixal count you can,...the more pixals the larger you can make the prints and remain sharp looking.
Get one that can take "legacy" lens...that is lenses that were originally meant for film cameras...the reason being you can find "long focus" or telephoto lenses on the used photo equipment market for not much money.
You will need long focus lenses because wildlife had to be photographed from afar.  You will need a sturdy tripod to hold the camera steady because with a telephoto lens shaking is magnified.

[sync pulse]

This is something you would find useful,...and fun too...you will need a tripod.  You can get models to fit most manufacturers...650 mm-1,300 mm F/8.0-16.0 Lens...it's a zoom and not just a telephoto...for the 35mm format and digital is similar, a 50 mm lens is "normal" so this thing can magnify distant objects 26 times.

[sync pulse]

this one is not a zoom...comes with a kit of accessories...you can chose between 500 or 1000 mm focal length.

[sync pulse]

This lens is different from the first two in that it is a catadioptric lens, a "cat" for short...it's like a small reflector telescope that can be mounted on a camera...they are usually 500mm...the advantage is they are shorter than other long focus lenses...the disadvantage is that you can't adjust the aperture.  you have to adjust the shutter speed with film cameras or change the camera sensitivity with digital.