In many respects, the DP Board within MR, is definitely a change from other Forum sites. There is a lot of good information here, and quite a bit of positive critiquing to boot. While I do not share much in the way of photos, I enjoy looking through most of the threads. The what to buy threads, just need a sticky at the top of the page, and then need to get updated with current information on a semi-regular basis.
I got started on DPR back in 2002'ish. It was a good site then, but by the mid 00's it became a not so good site, forum wise, due to all the arguing/ shouting/ b*tching that began to take over. So I left & found Fred Miranda, along with a few other sites, including MR. On FM, I avoid the clique'ish people, and stick to a few specific thread's within the forums. Here on MR, I primarily spend my time in the Visual Media section.
Regarding FM, there is one thread in particular, that I spend a quantitative amount of my time on, and that is Mustang Air to Air (MA2A)
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/600984 ... It is mostly an Aviation Thread, that has grown to almost 1600 Pages, and 1.5 Million Plus views. However, we all post a variety of different types of photography within the thread, including Architecture, Landscapes/Cityscapes/Naturescapes, Sports, Boating, etc..., but the thread does have a primary focus of Aviation (Past, Present, & Future). If anyone likes Birds or just likes to talk about birds/ airshows, then drop on by. It is by far one of the most knowledgeable group of people I have ever come across in Photography. The diversity within the group is broad. There are shooters that use Rebels/ D40's & Kit Lenses, there are shooters that use the mid-range bodies, and then there are a few that shoot with 1DMKIV's & 500/4's & 800/5.6's. But the end result, no matter the gear, is that we love photography, and enjoy sharing photos of what we love shooting.
