In April, I attended a photography stage. 
Six attendants : 4 with good (expensive) DSLR cameras and 2 ladies with cheap automatic digital pocket cameras... they wanted to go back and not follow the training... but then the instructor (a real good professional photographer with the D2X !) said : 
"Just stay and I will show you..." 
For every exercise, he took a couple of shots with the pocket cameras... I can ensure you that most of us were sometimes ashamed to show some pictures taken with the expensive lenses... 
So , definate conclusion ?

"In Life, as in Photography, things look much brighter, once you remove the lens cap"