Not straight from the camera it won't
If you're serious I'd get the 70-200 f4L or the Sigma pro equivalent and a sigma wide angle zoom, anything less and you might aswell get a point and shoot really. You're looking at another 800+ quid.
Learn to use a camera and digital darkroom and then you'll start getting the images you want.
Can't agree with all that.
The APS-C size CMOS sensor on a Canon 300/350/400/20/30/40D, is still
huge compared to a point and shoot (POS) CCD. With that, you get bigger photosites, and much less noise and cleaner images. Therefore you have a camera that performs above and beyond a POS. Add the processing chip (Digic II/III) and the thing wipes the floor.
Images straight out of the camera (Jpeg) can be adjusted using loads of parameters to adjust sharpness, contrast, saturation etc etc, and they'll look better than a POS (although high end pro-sumers do well, but they are hardly classified as POS).
Suggesting £800 worth of lenses to a beginner who wants to learn, serious or not, is a very OTT. But, you are right about investing in better lenses, but then contradict yourself a little by saying none of it matters, as it's all about light, composition and subject. I know what you are getting at though. Aesthetic quality - which is probably the most important, is as you said, about comp/subject and light. Technical quality, is about the gear.
Best lens for a beginner is the age old standard lens; the 50mm. They are almost always as sharp as a good percentage of good zooms.
If I was starting off now, I'd look for a 2nd hand 300/350D for around about £200-250. Or, look around photography websites for a bundle deal including cards and accessories. I'd then stick the EF 50 1.8 Mk II or I on it, and use my legs. After I'd got used to that, and realised its strengths and weaknesses, I'd then be thinking what other lenses I wanted.