Skywatch Friday:  Test Shots

Skagit Bay
Canon EF-S 15-85mm Lens @15mm (24mm image)
Last fall, I bought a new camera, a Canon 7D Mark II.  As it turned out, the photo editing software I had been using with the old 7D1 couldn't process the raw files produced by the new camera.  For the moment, then, the new camera ended up stashed away in a cabinet.

Skagit Bay
Canon EF-S 10-18mm Lens @10 mm (16mm image)
Now I have new software that will process the 7D2 raw files.  Here are the first couple of test shots I took this week using two different lenses.  Although they were just test shots, they turned out fairly well.  They were also photos of my usual Skywatch scene, so I decided to post them there.  Although it is the same scene, these photos are very different from the one I posted last week.

Compared to the old 7D, much less post-processing seems to be needed with the 7D2.  Colors are brighter and lighting is more balanced right out of the camera.  I take a lot of photos in the deep shade of Pacific Northwest forests.  Also, skies can be heavily overcast in the winter here.  This is why I am also looking forward to the improved ISO performance of the 7D2.

Bald Eagle, Deception Pass State Park
Canon EF 100-400mm II Lens @400mm (640mm image, cropped)
Here is a test shot of a slightly different sky.  This is one of a pair of resident Bald Eagles at West Beach, Deception Pass State Park nearby.  If you know where to look, you can find one or both of this pair in their usual spot almost any morning.  The 7D Mark II is not really a landscape camera.  Where it shines, however, is wildlife and sports photography when you need to get in close.

Neighbor
Canon EF 100-400mm II Lens @400mm (640mm image cropped)
Finally, back to earth and a test photo of one of the neighborhood houses taken from Kiket Island across Skagit Bay.  The house sits 1.1 miles/1.8 km from where I was standing.



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