Thomas Hawk was interviewed for a Mahalo Daily episode on basic photo tips. All of them are very important and should be followed almost religiously, but one caught my eye:
#4: It’s all about the glass
This so true! Too often I find myself trying giving the same equipment advice to friends blinded by the quantity of lenses available in some DSLR kits: one good lens is better than two or three cheap lenses.
PS – Tip #9 probably is the most important: take lots and lots and lots of photos. Persistence leads to perfection and, quoting Henri Cartier-Bresson, your first 10,000 photographs are your worst.
[update] This post was on my reading list today, check out item six.
No matter how good the glass, having physical movement of the lens will degrade the quality of the shot. Thus, a cheap lens on a tripod could possibly come out better than a hand held high quality lens. Tip: Use a tripod whenever possible. regardless of how fast the shutter speed is. A high quality lens on a tripod is unsurpassed in sharpness and definition.
Good point! Even if carrying a tripod, or at least a monopod, isn't always practical.