Lenses are more important than the camera

When you buy a new DSLR today, the changes are high that the offer comes with a kit lens. This seems like a great
bargain to get a great camera with lens for an affordable price.
Unfortunately many of the kit lenses are not the best lenses out there. They are not really bad but the high
resolutions of modern DSLRs (for example the Canon EOS 450D has over 12 megapixels) demand high quality lenses to get the best results the sensor can produce.

Good lenses are often more expensive than the kit lenses. For example the kit lens for the EOS 450D, the EF-S 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 IS is not as good a lens as the Canon EF 4/17-40L. The 17-40L is sharper and more robust.

If you want the best image quality, you have to buy the best lenses.

Unfurtunately that means that you will have to pay a higher price.
It’s better to get a cheaper camera and a good lens than a more expensive camera and a bad lens.
For example, if you are shooting Nikon it might be better to get a D700 with a Nikon AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8 G ED than the more expensive D3 with a Nikon 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G AF-S.

What should you do?
It depends on your budget. But I suggest to spend some money on good lenses. If you are thinking about buying the EOS 450D (Rebel XSi), and you can afford it, I suggest you get the EF 4/17-40L instead of the kit lens. Combine this with the 4/70-200L IS instead of the EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS and you have a wonderful combination that will get you much sharper and better results.

The best solution would be to get the best camera with the best lens. If that is not possible I suggest you get the best lens with a cheaper camera. This is much better than getting the best camera with just mediocre lenses.