Update in May 2016 …
DPReview is a place I go once in a long while to look at what is happening in the camera world. I’ve not been buying much, but I still have the used D90 with grip and 18-105. What a nice combination that is. My old Sigma 105 is magnificent on it and I traded the GX1 and an 18-42 X lens for a Tamron 28-75 2.8, one of my favourite walk about lenses. I just recently acquired the Panasonic G7 and am looking now to consolidate down to only a few bodies with an equal mix of image and video prowess.
I think I would like to end up with the D7200 replacing the D90, the G7 and G6 for video, and the OMD EM10II or the GX85 to replace the secondary travel camera EPM2 and the GF3 vestigial limb. So the travel kit might be the G7 and 14-140 with either GX85 or EM10II with the 45mm and 7.5mm Samyang fisheye. That would be pretty magnificent.
The D7200 would be for macro work as I really hate the short focal lengths of the macro lenses available for the m4/3 bodies. One day I suppose they will get that right (i.e. a 75mm or greater for macro to match the APS-C 105 working distance.) The D7200 would also make a superb studio camera of course with the Tamron 28-75 or the 105 (I don’t mind standing back to get that kind of image quality.)
Update in late 2015 ...
I've pretty much dropped off of DPReview in that I am very busy with work and hobbies. I've started shooting for charity, which is interesting and challenging and I really don't care about the acquisitiveness of the typical denizen of DPReview any more. The prototypical "buy everything" attitude has worn thin and the old "doctor / lawyer" joke regarding fat wallets is no longer funny to me. It is just sad to see buying big gear substituting for learning to control light and process images to look great.
And do note that I am not suggesting that I have mastered anything. I am just another photographer on a long learning curve, as is everyone reading this. I shoot some simple m4/3 gear, none of which is current. I still have the Panasonic GF3 that I banged up in Stockholm (search for "takes a licking" on the search box in the right-hand column.) I also shoot the wonderful Olympus E-PM2, which is small and has a hot shoe and a modern sensor of the Sony era (think E-M5.) My workhorse is the Panasonic G6, which is the least capable sensor I have in low light, yet still produces fine images and is amazing in bright light and studio because of its heritage from the original GH2 sensor, much tweaked of course. But the gear I use for studio work is the Nikon D90, a pretty old camera of the 12mp generation that still kicks serious butt. I love shooting tethered to Lightroom and printing on location, which is necessary for charity work. Lightroom and Nikon work well together. Panasonic and Olympus are way behind in their approach to tethering and so they and Adobe have not got together on this yet. Probably never is my guess. Too bad ...
The portraiture work was performed with my super-portable setup -- umbrella, speedlight brolly box and three manual Nikon speedlights. The work is decent, although I would do it differently today. The second generation work was for the Pug rescue Under My Wing, which is done using a rather busy background, not all that much to my liking. I used continuous video lights there and it shows. The light from outside intruded a bit (which made the processing difficult and that really shows) and it was impossible to deal with movement. Still, some of the shots are good. But the third generation system -- four strobes acquired on clearance and on Kijiji with a white background also acquired on Kijiji, a couple of 75" brolly boxes acquired on clearance from Henrys (and still available for a song on their site) -- shows a massive difference in approach and results.
Have a look at my portfolio here. (Note: Having some trouble with ipower domain redirects, so you may be forced to click on the "My Portfolio" button in the middle of the column on the right.)
The point, of course, being that this is old(ish) gear and yet my results are better than ever. So don't get sucked into the gear race. We all pine for the latest stuff, but I would suggest you force yourself to expand your skills by taking on challenges like charity work. Consider checking the rescues in your area to see if they have photography booths at their fundraising events, but make sure that you do your research and practice before you show up.
Update in late 2013 ...
I've been on the forums now for many years ... and I have dropped out a few times by now to refresh my interest. Generally, I still consider DPReview a place to interact and exchange information. I learn from those people and I try to give something back as often as possible. I am well known as someone who does not like to be fed b.s. so I always challenge vague or misleading arguments and that seems to really bother some people. So be it.
As my interests have changed, I have partially weaned away from my original home forum -- Fuji Talk. I was never much interested in Nikon forums as interacting with them was rarely satisfying. The m4/3 and digital video forums are a bit better, although there are always people who are irritating, and I say this with full knowledge of the embodied irony :-)
Original text ... well, not completely original as something I wrote to counter a heavy attack from a wing nut has now been removed and no longer applies.
I originally left DPReview when the acrimony and bickering got to be too much even for me.
I stayed away for about 3 months, and after feeling refreshed I came back. Things had improved only marginally but I have mostly stuck it out. The road, however, is incredibly rocky with certain people on the forums thinking they some sort of God-given right to crusade against individuals they don’t like. Puerile and infantile, but what can you do …
