As promised, here is a handful of test shots that I captured yesterday with my new camera. The location was Seaham Harbour, County Durham, a fifteen minute drive from my home in Houghton le Spring. The weather forecast on my mobile phone was accurate enough, predicting a cloudy and windy day, with the odd burst of sunshine. Wind direction was ideal for some big waves, breaking over a pier, so I decided to check the tide tables for Seaham. I was in luck, the tide was incoming around mid-day, so I expected ideal conditions around tea-time when the sea was high and Seaham Pier would be on the wrong end of a good old battering - well, hopefully, but more often than not the roaming photographer doesn't get what he wants. With nothing to lose, and the overwhelming itch to get my first run out with my new toy, I was quickly on the road and heading to the coast. As I reached the junction near Seaham Hall I got my first glimpse of the North Sea. It didn't look at all menacing, despite the dodgy weather, but as I drove along the coast road towards the harbour I could see some big waves rolling towards the beach. Hmm, I might hit lucky here. I parked up on the promenade opposite the shops and walked the short distance towards the cliff top, excited at the prospect of testing out the 5D MkII for the very first time. Looking across towards Seaham Pier I could see some big breakers bashing against the pier walls, which was exactly what I was looking for, so my decision to check the weather conditions on my mobile phone proved to be a good one. From a decent vantage point I still didn't have enough reach with my 24-105mm lens, so I fitted the 70-300mm telephoto and pulled in the first shot (shown here). Focus lock was instant, with no hunting, even though I was spot focusing on the lighthouse, which was quite small in the frame due to the composition I had chosen. One click and the shutter fired - the image review was also instant, fading in from almost black to the perfectly exposed final image, which is a nice extra feature that the 7D never had. I was running with Quick Burst, 3 frames per second, capturing the waves at different formations, giving me the opportunity to cherry-pick the best hots from the bunch. A fast shutter and Auto ISO was chosen in P setting, which worked very well in these conditions. I got a soaking as I photographed next to the pier wall, taking a few on the back as I shielded the camera under my jacket. Very happy with what I got. Hopefully the start of many more.
I'll be back soon with more test shots and feedback, so stay tuned...
Thanks, Ash
