zkSharks
Retired Moderator
I know that the best cameras are probably gonna cost you over 500 bucks.
You don't need anything near the 'best cameras' in order to take basic timelapse photography, but you are right in that all of the 'prosumer'-grade or higher DSLRs alone will run substantially higher than $500.
Kygator, feel free to PM me and we can start to piece together a setup for you. At the very least you can take some great standard stills and long-exposure shots.