I had the chance to get my hands on a Canon EOS 7D for a quick test. I'm mainly interested in seeing it's video capabilities and have uploaded a raw file direct from the camera as an example.

The camera was fitted with a 18-135mm lens and the file below was a 1920x1080 (1080p) 134MB .MOV file.

The first thing that was quickly apparent was the need to focus manually. You can autofocus before shooting but not while filming - I can appreciate that professional cameras work like this and that's why top end filming is done on the shoulder with a hand free for manual focusing. However, I have been using my low cost HV564E HD SD Video Camera and although autofocus is very slow, it's a real benifit when shoting from the hip.

Secondly, this is not a light piece of kit and will get heavier depending on the lens fitted, so while it's great for photography and maybe tripod mounted filming, it's not going to take the place of a seperate 'handy cam' and 'DSLR for me.

As for the quality, I can't fault it. It's solid, takes amazing pictures and produces amazing video and the built in mic seems great too (also has a slot for an external mic). Having the ability to change lenses can only enhance the video capabilities and with the 18-135mm that I tested it with allows for amazing DOF in your video - giving some nice blockbuster styleee scenes.

The following photo is a .JPG straight from camera using 18-135mm lens. The original .JPG was 5184x3456 7.9MB.

Exposure: 0.005 sec (1/200)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length:135 mm
ISO Speed: 1600 

If anyone has had any experience with this camera, I'd love to hear below ...