Just my take on the title. No, hindi sila nakaka sira ng camera but nakaka sira ng shots because of barrel distortion, vignetting, chromatic aberrations, back focusing, slow focusing, etc.
Get the proprietary lenses to be sure. I use a Canon 50D and I never use 3rd party lenses, always Canon.
Dont waste your money on third party lenses. Yup, they are cheap but they also produce cheap shots. And if you so decide to upgrade your lenses, resale value is very low.
Proprietary lenses whether its a Nikon or a Canon are like Gibson Les Pauls or Fender Strats. They seldom loose their value over time. Try comparing prices of a second hand Canon 50mm 1.4 with a second hand Sigma or Tamron 50mm 1.4 and you'll know what I mean.
If you want quality shots, go proprietary brand lenses
if you can afford L and G lens sure.. why not, GO FOR IT!.. if not, buy what you can with what you have. now is the best time for photography dahil sa dami ng options we have.. plus the advances in sensor technology, software and optics.
i say just shoot with the equipment you have.. concentrate more on composition and find fresh perspectives and ideas... Ansel Adams didnt have the same level of gear, but his photos stand out.
in the end, a good picture is a good picture.... only gearheads or innocent people will ask, what camera and lens the photographer used. dont make your gear as an excuse of not taking good pictures.
ive heard so many would-be photographers saying: "canon 1000d lang kasi gamit ko e, tapos kitlens pa..." if asked whats wrong with it, wala naman maisagot kungdi, "mumurahin kasi ang cam ko"... i dont get it sometimes.
how would you know if a photograph is shot with a sigma without looking at the exif or asking the photographer? announce that a zeiss lens was used?
will you dismiss a good photograph because it was shot by a cheap 28-200 tokina lens?
will the beauty of a really good photograph degrade when you find out it was shot with a 4MP D40 and its 18-55 kitlens?
going further, say yung sigma 50mm f1.4, its currently best in class...
the tamron 180mm f3.5 is one of the best macro lens...
sigma has HSM and Tamrons have PZN, so meron na rin motors ang lenses nila, it does focus fast enough.
CA's, distortion and vignetting appear in canon lenses too...its an optic limitation, although its more controlled on expensive lenses, it will be there.
same with guitars, i think we have to cleanse our "gearheadedness" and look beyond the equipment...
basta shoot lang ng shoot!
have more passion for photography, and less with the gears