NOW YOU SEE — I learned c4d but I had the choice between that and Maya. If I could go back I might have tried lightwave JUST for the price point. You buy lightwave and you get a radiosity option — which kind of pissed me off in c4d v8 when they first cut it out and you had to buy the bundle. C4d is very up and coming though, in my mind the modules are rediculous — they are worth every penny (i have advanced render and thinking particles).
This is a very tough topic to discuss. Overall though, it isn’t the quality of the software, its the quality of the artist. Put two really good modelers side by side, one with c4d and one with lw, you won’t see a difference.