The cheapest upgrade is a wider aperture
1 min read
A 50mm f/1.8 costs less than almost any accessory and changes what your photographs look like more than a new camera body would.
Kit zooms are usually f/3.5 at the wide end and f/5.6 at the long end. A basic 50mm prime is f/1.8, which is between two and three stops wider.
That buys two things at once: enough extra light to keep shooting after the zoom has run out, and shallow enough depth of field to separate a subject from its background.
It is almost always the least expensive lens a manufacturer makes, and it will do more for what your photographs look like than a newer body would.