Thanks for that. I too enjoy a little competitive banter and do try not to be too sour so I'm glad you have taken it with good spirit. I'm a gearhead, so whether its cameras or cars, I like to look at the bleeding edge of technology, and hopefully play with it, but I'm no pro by any means and have no intention of being either a pro racing driver or making money as a wedding photographer. With the A7r, I bought it hoping to finally utilize some of the full frame lenses that I have acquired over the years, never intending to buy any of the FE lenses, which I thought were expensive at the time. However, I did buy the 35FE with the A7r and immediately noticed that it was head and shoulders above my legacy glass, some of it the best stuff from the film era in terms of design. So, I changed my mind on the FE lenses, now preferring them to my legacy glass and even thinking of selling off everything else. I now view FE glass as a bargain given it's quality, light weight and ability to autofocus quickly.
Generally though, I have to say that I find that there are far too many comments from the pundits calling for people to stop looking at charts and measurements and to focus on the art of photography. I think one has to strike a balance between looking at tech and art. I've certainly benefited from all the tests and measurements in terms of learning how to use my lenses optimally and how to avoid their flaws. Learning how to use your equipment optimally helps in the art and it's just fun comparing stuff. I also find that my favourite photography bloggers and writers are exceptionally competent on the tech side whether it's Ming Thien, Michael Reichmann or Llyod Chambers. So, I'm going to happily continue to look at Dxomark, Lenstip, Photozone, SLRGear and the rest while also ogling MTF charts and USAF test charts because I find it fun.