I went for the tour briefing and they mentioned need tripod and a camera that can set ISO and aperture. Totally a noob at photography.
the main criteria is you need:
- a camera with full manual controls (ISO, Shutter speed, aperture), comes standard built in for any DSLR or mirrorless.
- a fast and wide lens, because you are taking landscape, and it is night scene. The lens that come with the camera body (kit lens) won't be up to such task. this will likely be the most expensive part of the effort and will test how badly do you want a 'good quality' end result. if you think $500 is a lot, thats probably barely enough to cover the cost of the fast wide lens, let alone the tripod + camera body.
- not compulsory but preferably a hands-free way to shoot a photo. theres wireless remote, some camera brands got smartphone app to do remote shutter. This is to avoid touching the camera (it needs to be still when taking the long exposure shot, else got motion blur)
- a tripod that can support the camera (again cos you need the camera to be totally still for several seconds, between 4-10 seconds of zero movement per photo). the more windy the location, the more effort you need to make the tripod steady so it's important to consider.
- the knowledge on how to shoot long exposure photography (using the manual controls to set a long shutter speed)
- the knowledge on how to do manual focus (specifically focus to infinity as you are taking a far away subject)