No, I don't agree that natural ears are more expressive. We had one dog with natural ears and another with cropped ears. I couldn't tell you which is more expressive. Both of them speak volumes through their ears.
If you aren't going to show, I would ask for a medium length cut. If you get them cut long, the more taping you'll have to go through. Helmut never seemed bothered by the surgery and the aftermath. He was just sooo happy to see us after spending the day after the vet. Like everyone said, it's a personal decision. Event to this day, we can play with his ears all we want to and he doesn't mind.
Our new little girl will keep her natural ears. She looks so feminine and dainty. Everyone always asked us if our other male was a female because of the natural ears.