I discovered the importance of lenses the hard way. Years ago, I bought a Canon Rebel T3i on eBay. The kit lens was nothing special, but I realized the shots I wanted required a lens that cost 3x more than the camera kit.

I decided to just edit it in post, BUT that defeated the purpose. Eventually, I got a bang for the $ portrait lens.

I think it was $99 but 85% as good as a $700 competitor. I still have it 10+ years later but I hardly use a DSLR now. Phones have gotten good enough to leave the camera bag home