I want to take wildlife/outdoor photos recreationally. I don’t want to get frustrated by photo quality, but I also don’t want to spend more than I need to. That being said I’m willing to consider expensive equipment, but only if it benefits my needs. Does anyone have some canned recommendations?
There is no sweet spot, either get the best used kit you can find (lots of people buy stuff for a hobby or gift and barely use it), or go and get the nicest new kit you can afford to buy. The lenses for birding increase in value exponentially as you go up the range, a starter lens might be $300, a good amateur lens $1000, a pro lens $2500 and a top of the line National Geographic type lens $7000-20000