For me, the Smith Micro figures are not bad at all. I render them clothed and not in extreme poses. I am more interested in faces and expressions. For a long time, I wasn't even aware that they are supposed to bend badly. Their bending has never bothered me. 

If I were a new user now, I would probably opt for Poser again - it comes with several male and female figures, basic clothes and hair for them, lots of props and animals and the face room. And those included figures come with high quality textures. I don't see the point of Poser Debut, but Poser 9 is excellent value considering all the content. But nudie babes don't interest me.

I think if I were getting into 3d now, I would probably download the free Studio, and when I see how much more I would need to spend, I would go back to Poser and consider the value of all the included content. Yes, there is a lot of free stuff for V4, but as a new user I wouldn't be aware of that. It takes time to find it, and to sort the rubbish from the quality stuff.

Poser 11 Pro, Windows 10

Auxiliary Apps: Blender 2.79, Vue Complete 2016, Genetica 4 Pro, Gliftex 11 Pro, CorelDraw Suite X6, Comic Life 2, Project Dogwaffle Howler 8, Stitch Witch