Chris, I can assure you that the equipment is not an issue. In fact no current equipment is going to stop you from producing great photos. The primary factor that determines how good your photos are is you and your skills. Go to Flickr and look at a pile of random photos. Can you tell which camera/lens they were taken with? I certainly can not. However you can quickly see the difference photographic skills make. Your equipment, however good may either fit your photographic style and subject matter or it may not. So just think of what you photograph and how you photograph and you will know which cameras and lenses are best for you.
Well, I think you have two answers here. 1. Equipment is not an issue... and 2. see what/how you photograph and you will know which camera and lenses are best for you.
For me, Equipment is an issue because I am not a photo ninja warrior and when I pick up the camera, I need it to help me. I am willing to pay a little extra for it if it does. This technolgy helpfulness is why the Iphone is so popular and why people spend money on new APPs.
For instance, I started with the Olympus EPL-1. What a great camera. However, when I tried to photograph a running and jumping dog (or even people walking) with my EPL-1 and my 40-150R, I would end up with tons of out of focus shots. Sure, I could have practiced more but... Spending money down the road on an EM1-Mkiii with the 40-150 Pro gives me a faster processor, faster shutter speeds, better focusing, and voila, better photos with my still very limited skill set.
I have found some improvements with the new eye detect features, I like the new High Resolution shots, and the starry autofocus has made Astro shooting more fun. So for me personally, equipment is an issue. I still feel that I need more dynamic range in some of my photos and I would like better tracking (i.e. with enough processing, the camera should just lock onto what I tell it and stick with it no matter what the shape). I also would benefit from some animal/bird eye detection.
All of my deficiencies could be overcome with skill because many here demonstrate that with their beautiful photos using the same or even more limited equipment. I have a PhD and worked at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. I know how to test, take notes, and get the best out of equipment. That is work however, and I am not interested in making my limited camera usage a job.
Given my situation, and general lack of practice, I can assure you that equipment has helped me take better photos at least at the margins. Many of my landscape interests would likely still be satisfied with the old EPL-1 and some HDR processing. But it is at the margins with birds in flight or other more difficult shots that the equipment has helped.
This brings me back to the original issue. Why be here. Well, this is a place where nice people hang out who happen be be experts on the equipment and techniques with that specific equipment that I am interested in. The photos are great to see to but they are also data points related to the equipment. This may be a photo sharing site for many for many but it is also an equipment knowledge management site for some. I hope it stays as both.
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