Linda B. photographer. The best cameras come from personal sales or pawn shops. If you are anywhere near a college, that is the place to start. Many people are required to take one photography class and must buy a camera for the course. The camera is then used for a few weeks and sold.
Signs come up at the end of the semester.
I started out with a 35 mm Ricoh with one zoom lens. It took me through college and now I still use it to take pictures for the newspaper I work for. It had gone through two students before me but was still brand new. I went from Camera Shop to Camera Shop showing each place the price that the other place would give me. You can also call manufacturers to see if they're offering any rebates.