I paid the $50 right off the bat. I have 9000+ photos (not all are public) uploaded, and in the last few years I have been uploading the full-sized JPEGs, even though they don't display (as full sized) on mobile devices. That way the full-sized photo can still be downloaded.
The best thing about Flickr is how easy it is to share photos or albums with other people. They don't need an account to see your photos, unlike Facebook or Instagram or Snapchat (or the old Kodak photo website). The discussion groups are actually pretty good, too.