Sites worth your time - Pixel Peeper

On the right I have a list of "Sites Worth Your Time."  First off, the list is a work in progress and not chiseled in stone.  And it is, of course, my opinion.  I don't have an objective measure of what makes a site worth your time, just my personal observation of the ones that I find I visit even on days I dont have a lot of time.  I had planned to cover them in order but I realized alphabetic order is a bad way to look at them.  So I am going in my order starting with Pixel Peeper.

Im starting with pixel Peeper because it is unique among the sites I call worth your time.  The site has a very limited agenda - showing you actual pictures shot by actual photographers with identifiable gear.  From their FAQ:

Pixel-Peeper is a lens and camera comparison site. You can examine full size pictures from a specific lens or camera (more than 1,000,000 photos are available), also based on a specific setting (e.g. aperture, focal length or ISO).

Each lens/camera page also lists a number of online stores and eBay auctions along with availability that you can use to purchase equipment, or simply to check prices in your country.

One of the reason I dont like a lot of the "review" sites is that they take pictures of these reference images that have no relation to anything I would shoot.  And it seems like every lens I can afford is called "soft" or it is has "fringing" and is therefore no good. Yet when I look at reviews on Amazon and other user sites, I hear great things about the same lens.  So how to decide?  That is where Pixel Peeper comes in.  Thinking of buying that Pentax 50mm f/1.4 for low light shooting?  Instead of reading about "front focus" issues, look at real pictures.  Want to know if the Nikon 18-200mm is significantly better than the Sigma 18-200mm?  Check it out and decide for yourself.

Same for DSLR bodies and and "point and shoot" cameras.  There are no reviews, no judgements and no comparisons other than the ones you make yourself.  You get to decide if the extra stops on on that f1.4 are worth $500 more or if f2.8 is good enough.  

One warning - this site can be depressing!  Wander into the Digicam section and you will see some amazing pictures being taken with point and shoot gear that cost less than my camera bag.  It graphically teaches that it is not the camera but the photographer.  

If you decide to create an account, you can input your equipment and create a wish list and a "watch" list.  The watch list will alert you if something you want shows up on ebay.  Pixel Peeper uses Flickr for its source images and to a certain extent depends on accurate tagging by flickr users.  I think it is a good, objective tool for determining if the lens you are interested in is "good enough" or if the extra expense of a lens is worth it to you.  For Non SLR Digital Cameras it can be even more valuable because you are seeing the exact lens/body combination you are buying.  A lot of times you are going to find out that in the real world, good enough is pretty darn good.

Pixel Peeper has all the qualities DPOAB is looking for - fast, easy to use and easy to digest information.  It lets you make informed decisions about where to spend your photography budget and is therefore a Site Worth Your Time.