I think that lenses matter quite a bit. Not that you can't get great photos with a bad lens, but having a wide range of focal lengths and apertures to play arou

I think that lenses matter quite a bit. Not that you can't get great photos with a bad lens, but having a wide range of focal lengths and apertures to play around with opens up a lot of creative possibilities. I would also say that the lenses on smartphones are still a big limitation - although becoming less so with every generation as manufactures continue to cram in larger aperture lenses, bigger sensors, and multiple cameras for wide-angle and telephoto shots. "Portrait mode" for simulating larger apertures also continues to improve with each generation to the point where I think it is now at least worth giving it a try, even if it doesn't always produce usable results.