you don't need to spend a lot. you just need to start.
every beginner camera is one of two kinds, and picking between them is really just picking how much you want to fiddle.
one thing to get out of the way first: the camera matters less than you think. any working film camera from a reputable brand will take great photos. the differences below are about how the camera feels to use, not whether your pictures come out good.
neither is better. a point and shoot gets you shooting today. an slr teaches you why a photo looks the way it does. plenty of people end up with both.
the cheapest way in. it's half-frame, so you get 72 shots from a 36-exposure roll, plus a built-in flash and a glass lens. brand new, so there's no light-seal gamble. a great 'am i going to like this' camera.
the legendary pocket camera. tiny, weatherproof, with a famously sharp 35mm lens and full auto everything. prices climbed because it's that good, but nothing beats it for a camera you'll actually carry.
the value pick, also sold as the autoboy. reliable, sharp, and still cheap because it never got trendy. the point-and-shoot experience without the mju-II price.
the classic starter slr. easy to learn, comfortable to hold, and there are cheap canon fd lenses everywhere. if you want one camera to grow into, this is the safe answer.
the teaching camera. fully mechanical, so the shutter fires without a battery, and there's nothing automatic to hide behind. you set everything, which is exactly why photo classes leaned on it for decades.
built to outlive you. manual everything, metal everything, and a shutter that just doesn't quit. it costs more, but it's the one you buy once and keep forever.
buy used from people who know cameras: dedicated used camera shops, ebay (check the seller's rating and their photos), the r/photomarket community, or a local camera store if you're lucky enough to have one.
if you're buying online and can't test it yourself, pay a little more for a shop with a return window or a recent cla (a clean, lube, and adjust service). a $40 bargain that needs a $90 repair isn't a bargain, and a dead meter or sticky shutter is common on cameras that sat in a drawer for thirty years.
don't overthink your first roll any more than your first camera. start with kodak gold 200 or ultramax 400, shoot it in daylight, and see what you like. we broke down the five easiest stocks on the best film stocks for beginners page.
then just shoot the whole roll. don't agonize over every frame, and try to finish it within a week or two so you can see your results while you still remember what you shot. that feedback loop is the entire point.
a realistic first setup runs about $100 to $250 all in: a working camera, a battery if it needs one, and a few rolls of film. you don't need a bag of lenses, a separate light meter, or a fancy strap. one body, one 50mm lens if it's an slr, and film to feed it.
add things only when a photo you actually wanted to take talks you out of the gear you've got. that's the honest way to build a kit, and it keeps you shooting instead of shopping.