I've had a T2i/550D for a month and this is what the original file would look like.
The original is 5184x3456 pixels and the portion at bottom left is what the lighthouse 8 miles away looks like on the original straight out of the camera.
The ferry is 2 miles away.
The unmanned lighthouse has a bit of a history btw and is built on a rocky uninhabited outcrop called The Skerries and is a seabird sanctuary and nesting site.
I have a 100-400L permanently on the camera and use it mainly for wildlife and video, the 640x480 crop video is quite something imo.
I've never really tried it at above 100 or 200 ISO
This image is 1000x600 pixels just as a better example so please view at ORIGINAL.
The camera was handheld.!!!!