Image quality is not determined by megapixels alone, and here is a great new resource that. demonstrates it. I followed a link to a wonderful website on camera sensors yesterday, and wanted to share it;
It seems kind of ironic that my last post on feeling pressures to upgrade digital cameras would be followed by this one pointing to a site that may, well.. make you feel a bit insecure about how well your camera ranks compared to others. . But at the very least, a site like this provides you with some interesting side by side comparisons to help you decide if that new camera really offers some substantial upgrades in image quality to your existing one in areas other than megapixels. . This new site, offered by DxO labs just launched as of November 17, and is likely to become a nice reference for many photographers. The folks there did a very nice job at presenting some complex data in a nice, educational, user-friendly format.
The charts are quite interactive. When exploring the data for your particular camera (or one you are lusting after), hover your mouse along the color gradient on the right side of the tonal or dynamic range charts and watch how the sample image changes. If you are like me, sometimes it is difficult to translate all of these numbers to actual image quality, and this tool helps you to do just that.
Even if you aren’t someone who tends to fuss over all of this data (like me!) – these charts offer some practical advice you can use while in the field, like how much dynamic range you might loose by raising the ISO on your camera. I don’t imagine small fractional differences are significant enough to point someone in one direction or the other in camera choice. However, out of curiosity I compared my two DSLRs and saw some significant differences. . . I somewhat regret that I did that – because all it did was place a psychological whammy on me about a camera that I thought performed pretty good over the years. (I mentioned the problem of rising standards in my last post didn’t I? 
)
The site also offers some interesting information on ISO’s. . I noticed how the D2X is pretty accurate when comparing the ISO setting on the camera vs. the ISO measured by this standard test. However, when it comes to some of these sky high ISOs we see in the newer cameras, the ISO setting on the camera may be fibbing a little. It also appears that some manufacturer’s noses may be longer than others – or more liberal in their rounding methods as allowed by the ISO standards. (Do you smell marketing influence?). This is really important to know because in so many pixel peeper comparisons on the net of one ISO on one camera versus another – they are not really comparing apples to apples most of the time.
There is a lot of data provided to explore, contemplate, just look away when it becomes too much. . There is a lot to be said for trying to use your older camera for as long as possible. . In the end, all that really matters is that YOU are happy with the image, not where its numbers show up on a chart. . However, it can’t be denied that there are some genuine advantages to newer technology. . Tools like this DxO site can help decide when you are ready to make the leap. . Remember the day when getting better image quality was simply a matter of spending your five bucks on a different film canister.
If you have ever used some of the versions prior to the 3G, you know that maintaining focus on your ’sweet spot’ can be rather difficult because you have to hand hold the bend position. . The 3G addressed this limitation by creating a lock down feature, with micro-adjustment screws, that made for a strange-looking contraption on the front of your camera. . Despite this added control (which the product is now appropriately named “Control Freak”), manipulating can be rather cumbersome. However, I was able to photograph a tame 
As much as I did not want to buy yet another version of the Lensbaby, the 