I'm really not going to get into a flame war over this since I think that was the intent of this thread but..

What I am saying is that some one that can use a GENERIC low end product like poser, and it's Generic low end content and with postwork create a static render or short animation of their artistic vision that is individually as good as some one using high high end modeller/renderer/postwork to create a static render  or short animation of their artisitc vision, works every bit as hard, or harder and deserve that much create.

Yes there are phenominal artists out there that are so far above they are like unto gods, and they have literally millions of dollars of support, and deserve it. But for a hobbiest to snob poser and it's because it's just " for posing there characters." is redicluous. The effort to create art, wheither the tools are brush and paint, or pixels is fantastic, and noone that engages in it need to be "put down" because of the tools they choose (or are forced) to use. 

An Artist using chalk or charcoal on a sidewalk is still as much of an artist as one using hundreds of dollars of canvas and oil. An artist using Poser and Photoshop is as much an artist as one using a Cray and custom tools. One maybe 33rd circle and the other 1st circle, but both belong to the same club. The price of those tools (high end vs low end) is far less important than the vision and ability and the effort to realize that vision.

Sorry for any feathers I may ruffle but I maintain my right to have my opinion. In the immortal words of Stan Lee " 'nuff said" on this subject.

mike