Photography's a slippery slope. When I was shooting with a film point&shoot, I was convinced all I needed was a digital camera. I was (am) such a cheapwad about developing film that it took me months and months to fill up an entire roll. I would always think "is there a better picture I could be taking with this money?". Not a bad mantra, all things considered, but I should have told my 12 year old self that someday I'd spend thousands and thousands of dollars on photography anyway. I should have taken a chill pill back then. Or now. (I still need one)
So I got a digital camera, but all the masterpieces in my head turned out looking more like toddler fingerpainting...metaphorically (I only wish my pictures looked like fingerpainting). The answer of course was not my lack of skill or talent, it was the camera. If I had a decent camera, I could be the next Man Ray. Obviously.

So I graduated to a DSLR: Minolta, Olympus, then Nikon. Bad, Better, Best. Loved them all. But the camera itself doesn't make your pictures look much better. This is where I'm supposed to say it's the persons talent and skill that makes the picture better... or the ever popular "it's not the camera, it's the person behind the camera."... blah blah blah.
Brilliant words. I've said them myself. *blush*

But there is a little secret. It's all about lenses.
More specifically. There is one lens that is both super useful and inexpensive. The 50 mm 1.8 (or 1.4). Here it is for Canon too.


Unfortunately most camera lenses cost more money than the camera itself. Fortunately this 50 mm lens checks out for about $100, and I kid you not, it is almost impossible to take a bad picture with it.

You know all those pictures professionals take where the background is blurry, but the subject is sharp and in focus? Yup. This lens will do that.
Frustrated by the lack of poor indoor lighting that makes everyone look like fuzzy ghosts or requires you to use a flash? Yup. this lens solves that too.
Have problems focusing fast enough before you find your subject has wiggled away? Yup. Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner folks.

Personally, I couldn't live without mine.