Toment Loc: FL, IL

I started with a Pentax in 2006, changed to Canon SL1, then went mirrorless
All over the map.
My advice is to decide if you want mirrorless then go with starter bundle with avg 18-55 and 55-200 combo of either stripe. Full frame or crop, makes little difference except in price. All manufacturers offer starter sets. There is a lot to learn but it’s fun.
Follow this forum and you’ll learn a lot. Get a manual for the camera you choose.
You’ll learn all the basics of photography that you’ll need, then move on to the camera you need. It’ll take a year or two to get there but it’s fun doing it.
Have fun, ask questions, and good luck☘️

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

Danny, the majority of the members here have a favorite brand that they will recommend to you. You should base your decision on how the camera will feel in your hands and if its ergonomics are convenient to you.
My best advise is that if you have a camera store nearby with knowledgeable salesmen that you pay them a visit and ask the same question you are asking here. I am sure you will be advised on buying an entry level camera that should be more than enough for your needs.
Any of the kit lenses will do a good job till you have enough photographic knowledge to make your own decisions.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

If you were going to cook something, I would not know what sort of cooking utensils to recommend unless I knew what, specifically, you wanted to cook!

Here are some of the things we need to know to recommend appropriate photo gear:

What you want to photograph, roughly prioritized

Your budget

Whether you have, or have access to, any existing equipment

Whether you intend to print, and if so, how big

Your level of interest and commitment ("photography" can be a simple pastime, or it can get really deep in a hurry!)

There are dozens and dozens of really good cameras. What is best for one person may be completely inappropriate for another. That's why we need details.

Earnest Botello Loc: Hockley, Texas

Welcome to the Hog, Daniel, enjoy.

Picture Taker Loc: Michigan Thumb

Go to a store and see, feel and try the cameras. You should be comfortable with it.

You are investing money and a lot of future time on this hobby start correctly and you will be happier over the years.

regularguy55

Any refurbished Nikon 7200, Nikon 7500, or Canon 80D would be a great beginning in my opinion. You may also find a Pentax K70 (perhaps new) in your price range. Pentax is not as well known as the others but is an excellent camera with great Image Quality. Good luck with selection.

tomad Loc: North Carolina

Hi Daniel, I am also in North Carolina (Charlotte). First you have to decide what type of camera you want. Read up on the differences in DSLR and Mirrorless cameras and go hold a few in a camera store to see what feels good. Also consider superzoom bridge cameras; in my humble opinion Sony, followed by Panasonic are best in this catagory. I would highly recommend the Sony RX10 IV but it is around $1500, a near-comparable Panasonic bridge camera is the FZ1000 at around $600. I like the versatility of a bridge camera but they have a smaller (so called 1" sensor) that does not do as well in low light, will have a bit more noise in certain circumstances, and will not achieve the Bokeh of a larger sensor camera. And if you like to make large prints you may have trouble going larger than 16x20 with this size sensor. All that said I love the RX10 IV and consider it the Swiss Army Knife of cameras. I shoot mostly wildlife including birds in flight and it's great for that but I also have done some landscapes, city photography, and portraits that I am satisfied with.

radiojohn

Many of the outdoor photo magazines are increasingly showing photos taken with MODERN so-called bridge cameras. These are mirrorless cameras with electronic viewfinders and non-removable lens with very good ranges. I believe Sony has on at (list price) $999 that ends up with some insane tele like (equiv) 2000mm.

Built-in auto camera corrections for color fringing, light fall-off, barrel and pin cushion distortions and increased usable ISO make these something to think about.

Others will dismiss them.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

The EF-S 18-135mm IS USM lens is good, but it adds cost and for wildlife photography you will be using the longer telephoto lens a lot more often.

Another kit with the Canon T7i that instead combines EF-S 18-55mm IS STM with the EF-S 55-250mm IS STM is currently on sale for $949, within the original poster's budget:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1329244-REG/canon_eos_rebel_t7i_dslr.html

To be brutally honest, for wildlife photography there's no such things as a "long enough" telephoto lens. And while today there are a lot more "affordable" telephotos on the market than there were a few years ago, they're still well over your budget. For example, a superb lens is the Canon 100-400mm IS USM "II"... but it's around $2000. Sigma and Tamron are both far less expensive 100-400s at around $700 to $800, though not as good as the Canon. But even those would bust the original poster's budget, leaving too little $ to buy a camera and other things they'll need.

The 55-250mm is your best bet for now. And actually it's a very capable lens with a lot of potential. While an even longer lens might be nice, you can do a lot with this one and stay closer to your budget. Wildlife photographer Nial Benvie tells how for the first ten years of his career he shot with a 300mm lens fitted with a 1.4X teleconverter (a 420mm combo). Because the T7i is a "crop sensor" (APS-C) camera, a 250mm lens on it "acts like" a 400mm lens would on Nial's film cameras that he used at that time. So the 55-250mm would give you very close to the same "reach" he had, but at MUCH lower cost and FAR less bulk and weight to haul around.

In addition to the T7i, EF-S 18-55mm IS STM and EF-S 55-250mm IS STM lenses at $949, you also may want:

Extra memory cards, two 32GB SD cards cost approx... $20.

EW-63C lens hood (strongly recommended) for the 18-55mm STM lens.... $23.

ET-63 lens hood (strongly recommended) for the 55-250mm STM lens... $23.

Extra LP-E17 battery... $49.

Photoshop Elements 2019 software... $60 (on sale, reg. $100).

Or Photoshop Elements 2019 (photo) and Photoshop Premiere Elements 2019 (video).... $90 (on sale, reg. $150).

If you buy from them, B&H Photo includes a free shoulder bag and 16GB memory card with the camera. Shipping is free and there's no tax. The camera kit includes one battery & charger, shoulder strap, caps for lenses and camera, manual, 1 year warranty on it all. Canon software will be included too, but for a more all-in-one image organizer and editor I'd highly recommend Elements 2019. (You'll still likely want to install some of the Canon software such as EOS Utilities.)

Get started with the above. Then start saving toward a more powerful telephoto lens eventually. Good ones that don't cost as much as a use car include the Canon 100-400mm II (~$2000), Tamron 100-400mm (~$800 + $129 for tripod ring sold separately) or Tamron 150-600mm G2 (~$1500). I'd also recommend saving another $400 to $500 for a tripod, while you're likely to want with these larger lenses. Later you might want to fit the tripod with a gimbal head and a good one like the Nest costs around $250.

You might find what appears to be a better price from other retailers online. Some are reliable, but a lot aren't. Beware of substituted items, bait n' switch, etc.

EDIT:

Some have suggested "bridge" cameras with non-interchangeable "super zoom" lenses. Those cameras can give you a lot of "reach" so you can stay home in your living room and photograph wildlife in Africa (okay, not really).... BUT they use tiny little sensors that cannot match the image quality of a DSLR. You're also pretty much stuck with the one lens, so will have less versatility for any future changes.

Mirrorless cameras have also been mentioned. One problem with those is cost. They're "too popular", so prices are staying high. You can get more camera for your money buying a DSLR. There also is nowhere near the selection of native lenses for mirrorless cameras, than there is for DSLRs... especially the extensive Canon and Nikon systems. There are adapters that allow some DSLR lenses to be used on mirrorless... but doing that sort of defeats one of the top reasons buy into mirrorless systems, their smaller size and lower weight. In addition, small/light mirrorless cameras can feel unbalanced and clumsy when used with a "big telephoto" like you'll probably eventually want for wildlife photography. It wouldn't be an issue with a more modest size lens like the 55-250mm mentioned above... but if/when you get something bigger and heavier, you might not like the combo. Finally, shooting wildlife can mean sitting and watching through the camera's viewfinder for long periods of time, waiting to some action or the just the right pose. The optical viewfinder of a DSLR like the T7i draws no power to speak of.... But the electronic viewfinder in most mirrorless cameras, nice as it can be for some things, is a heavy power user and tends to drain the battery a lot faster. Using a mirrorless camera on a wildlife shoot might require 2X or 3X as many spare batteries as DSLRs.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

A refurbished deal might be good:
Below is a great starter set.
Refurbished EOS 80D EF-S 18-55 & EF-S 55-250 IS STM Bundle @ $699.99 (almost half price)
https://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/refurbished-eos-80d-ef-s-18-55-ef-s-55-250-is-stm-bundle

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

Since wildlife usually requires a long telephoto lens which can be rather expensive for a DSLR, I believe your best choice would be a bridge camera. I use a Canon SX50 HS. I chose it because it has a viewfinder and a hotshoe, two things that were important to me at the time. The current model is the SX70 HS ($549.00 new).

Pocketable models WITH A VIEWFINDER include:
Nikon A1000 ($476.95)

Other manufacturers make competeing models. They include:
Nikon P900 ($596.95)
Panasonic Lumix DC-FZ80 ($297.99 new)
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ300 ($397.99 new)
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 IV ($1,598.00) considered the best of its class (at that price, it sould be)

These do not fit a pocket. Those that do will usually have a lesser strengh telephoto end to its zoom.

WarpedWeaver

Daniel, if you can, try to go to a camera store and pick up a few different models. If you are near Charlotte, Raleigh, Asheville or Wilmington you should be able to find a store to visit. Find one that fits you and that you are comfortable holding. Just a suggestion from a fellow Tar Heel.

Brokenland

Refurbished EOS M100 EF-M 15-45mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM Lens Kit = $358.99
Refurbished EOS M6 EF-M 15-45mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM Lens Kit = $478.99
Refurbished EOS M100 EF-M 15-45mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM & EF-M 55-200mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM Bundle = $542.99
Refurbished EOS M6 EF-M 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM Lens Kit = $639.20

or create your own kit, like I did:

Refurbished EOS M6 Body = $382.99
New Fotodiox EF to EF-M Adapter = $39.95 x2
Refurbished Canon EF 50mm F/1.8 STM = $100.79
Refurbished Canon EF 100mm F/2 USM = $399.99

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Wildlife is not only birds.
I get deer and many other wildlife with my 24-105mm just fine.
In ancient days with FF film my longest was 200mm and did just fine in the desert for wildlife.
Yes longer is nice but price starts to go up.

jpgto Loc: North East Tennessee

Welcome Daniel. I suppose a lot of what you want will depend on budget. Suggestion, Go to a local camera shop, touch, feel and play with controls. Maybe rent something. Good luck, have fun, enjoy