I find the attitude that "people who use Poser aren't real artists because they don't do their own modelling" an indefensible position. I guess Ansel Adams isn't a real artist because he didn't personally sculpt those landscapes he photographed. I guess Robert Mapplethorpe isn't a real artist because he didn't build all those flowers by hand out of cheesecloth and baling twine.

Imagine for a moment a photographer who takes pictures that look similar to Ansel Adams landscapes, but who does so by photographing miniatures he has constructed himself, using model railroading supplies. Is this hypothetical photographer "better" than Ansel Adams?

It may be true that a lot of Poser art isn't any good, but only because a lot of any art isn't any good. Remember Sturgeon's Law: 90% of everything is crud. Related to caravaggio's comment - the cruddy 90% of everything gets forgotten fairly quickly, only the good 10% endures. This is why people talk about how "they just don't make [music/movies/books/art/etc.] like they used to." They really do make all that stuff like they used to, you've just forgotten all the crud. Dig up some obscure, forgotten, mediocre classical music and listen to it if you don't believe me...