the lizard was shot with a very shallow depth of field...
a good sit to read about cameras is
www.dpreview.com
the my camera was $1499 without the lens. I have 2 lensed ~$500 each and a $300 hotshoe flash.. saving up to get a remote flash for aquatic pics.
One thing different about this cam and the rest... I have taken over 500 pictures and have only charged the battery 2x.