gdgt

It's true. I am "on hold" when it comes to purchasing a DSLR. The 7D is the best when it comes to low light, that's for sure, but I always liked the Nikon products. There are rumors that Nikon is going to put out a full frame, mid level camera, that has HD recording AND auto focus. That would be the holy grail of cameras.

I have experimented with DSLR video, and it is a pain to focus on the fly, which happens about 90% of the time, unless you have a fixed camera and a fixed subject. Although, as it stands right now, the 7D is the best DSLR with video (and the lesser Rebel T2i) over the D90/D5000/D3000/D300S Nikon offers, however the manual focus creates limitations on the video capabilities.

People have created manual focus rings to make the process a little better, but it still takes way too much practice to be practical.

blog.photoframd.com­/2010­/01­/26­/canon­-7d­-tips­-diy­-f...

here is a post about a potential AF in video mode camera by Nikon

nikonrumors.com­/2010­/07­/15­/nikon­-will­-release­-cont...

No, you can't do autofocus.
For the most part shooting video is not the same as shooting stills. When shooting with a DSLR your best bet is do your focus, then start shooting. If you are going to do hunt focus then you are just shooting family videos and the DSLR is not the tool for you. This is the reason focus pullers exist in productions.

If you are going to do serious video work with it then invest in a Red Rock's Micro or Zacuto rig. A follow-focus is a must. As don mentions they are available but most people don't understand how they work. You don't use them willy-nilly while you shoot. You lock your focus points at the start of the move and the end, and then you mark the points on the follow-focus.

Also while the 7D may be the best bang-for-your-buck body, The 5D MkII offers less grain at higher ISO and is of course handily trashed by the 1D MkIV. I personally have stopped using my 7D as anything other than a backup.