Quote about lenses

"The quality of your pictures will depend on the quality of the lens. So, to start with, invest in a lens rather than a camera body. In the 24x36 format; put your money into just one 28 or 35 mm lens from the professional range instead of 3 lenses of an amateur quality.

...

Don’t use a zoom when you’re learning to photograph. You need to train your photographer’s eye by working with your lens. A zoom will not teach you this as you never know what focal length you are on. A fixed lens allows you to see its focal length and trains your eye for framing your pictures. Banish any automatic lenses that do all the adjustments for you, they may give good end results but they don’t teach you anything. Don’t let your camera decide on your photos. Stay in command of your own creativity!"

by Olivier Follmi. Read the rest here.