So, what upcoming DSLR should I hold out for?

[colin rowe]

One big difference in the 7D is that it has dual Digic-4 processors, so it can handle low light a bit better, and that it shoots at a fast still rate. Not really a big enough difference for me. Sure it has the Magnesium body, I wish they would of done that for the 60D.

The dual processors dont make an ounce of difference to the video performance on the 7D, they come into play for fast rate still shooting. Plastic bodies are indeed tougher than most people will admit to, unless your exploring the amazon, scaling Everest or working in a war zone, then you might need the strength of a magnesium body. The most versatile APS-C Canon at the moment is the 550D, with Magic Lantern. It has more, very usefull features than a lot of pro video cams. I use my 550D regularly as B cam to my EX1. It will do exactly the same as a 7D or 60D and will cost you a lot less.

 

[meauounji]

The dual processors dont make an ounce of difference to the video performance on the 7D, they come into play for fast rate still shooting. Plastic bodies are indeed tougher than most people will admit to, unless your exploring the amazon, scaling Everest or working in a war zone, then you might need the strength of a magnesium body. The most versatile APS-C Canon at the moment is the 550D, with Magic Lantern. It has more, very usefull features than a lot of pro video cams. I use my 550D regularly as B cam to my EX1. It will do exactly the same as a 7D or 60D and will cost you a lot less.

In addition to the faster frame rates, it does allow for 1080i monitoring via HDMI while recording. This is a big deal for some people if you're using an external monitor. An even bigger deal if you're shooting in a situation where you have a video village (or video hut, in my case)

 

[KlayAbele]

The dual processors dont make an ounce of difference to the video performance on the 7D, they come into play for fast rate still shooting. Plastic bodies are indeed tougher than most people will admit to, unless your exploring the amazon, scaling Everest or working in a war zone, then you might need the strength of a magnesium body. The most versatile APS-C Canon at the moment is the 550D, with Magic Lantern. It has more, very usefull features than a lot of pro video cams. I use my 550D regularly as B cam to my EX1. It will do exactly the same as a 7D or 60D and will cost you a lot less.

This is what I was basing my info from. Here is the article. http://dancarrphotography.com/blog/2010/08/27/canon-60d-vs-7d/ He states that the dual processors do effect the low light performance. I didn't say it would effect video performance. It aslo helps in noise control in high ISO settings. Here is a snippet of the article.

"the 7D has dual DIGIC 4 processors. The processor is the brains of the camera and having 2 of them dramatically speeds up the pace at which the camera can shoot, and write images to the memory card. This is the main reason that we see a shooting speed of 8FPS on the 7d and only 5.3FPS on the 60D. Its also responsible for the much higher JPEG buffer on the 7d. Having dual DIGIC 4 also leaves power left over to handle image processing and control noise reduction in high ISO images, the result of which will be better low light performance in the 7D images even though they are using the same APS-C 18MP sensor. So speed and ISO performance are the next things to consider, do you want to shoot sports ? Do yo want to shoot indoors a lot, or at night ? If you answered yes to either of those, and pure image quality is a priority then the 7D would be my choice. In my experience the difference between 5.3 and 8FPS in shooting speed feels like even more than a 2.7FPS difference."

 

[Samuel H]

I think this bit is just wishful thinking

"Having dual DIGIC 4 also leaves power left over to handle image processing and control noise reduction in high ISO images, the result of which will be better low light performance in the 7D images even though they are using the same APS-C 18MP sensor."

every comparison I've seen or read about stated that the images from 550D, 60D and 7D are basically the same

 

[sbrenner]

I believe we are very close to seeing the replacement for the Nikon D700 being introduced.
It should address the 5DmkII market.
Not sure how the current catastrophe in Japan will slow this up.

 

[MarcoPolo]

T2i body if you can find a deal (around $500) and buy a few good used lenses to go with it. I decided it had enough of what I was looking for to test the HDSLR waters without too much initial investment.