Just arrived in today’s mail: the brand-new Canon EOS 7D digital SLR (being held by Jennifer to the left). It’s best thought of as the little brother of the Canon EOS 5D Mark II digital SLR–the primary differences are that the 7D has a smaller image sensor with fewer megapixels, and the 7D also includes a 720p shooting mode (unlike the 5D Mark II, which only shoots 1080p as far as HD video goes.) The 7D is also a grand less, with an MSRP of $1699.

Tom saw a pre-production 7D at a Canon line show a few months back and had liked what he saw. We are eager to put this production unit through its paces, and we’ll share what we find out with you in a timely manner.

Speaking of which, a Canon EOS 5D Mark II firmware upgrade that adds 25fps and 23.976fps modes is slated to be released sometime during the first half of next year.

From a press release from Canon issued today:

the hotly anticipated firmware update for the EOS 5D Mark II Digital SLR Camera is now available.

This new firmware will accommodate a great number of user requests for manual exposure control in the EOS 5D Mark II video mode. Manual exposure control while shooting video on the EOS 5D Mark II is expected to make a big impact with cinematographers and videographers using the 5D Mark II for high-end HD video production.

Please follow the link below to the EOS 5D Mark II product page on the Canon U.S.A. Web site to download the new firmware. Let us know if you have any questions, thank you.

http://wwwusa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=139&modelid=17662#ModelDetailAct

Digital still cameras have had rudimentary video capabilities for some time. However recent advances in high end models such as the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1k, Nikon D90, and the Canon 5d mark II have made the idea of creating high-quality video content on a still camera a reality.

For the first time in it’s history Videomaker will review a still camera (Canon 5D mkII) in it’s pages, and we will add the Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) as a new category of camcorder henceforth. As you would expect, the focus on the review will be on the video capabilities of the camera, with a brief overview of its still photo functions.

We will focus on using the DSLR in real world shooting conditions, in terms of capacity battery life, audio capabilities and other practical tests. The footage that we’ve seen so far is very impressive, but there are some real limitations to capturing video with DSLR’s at this stage.

In broad strokes, some of the advantages of the DSLR video format are:

• Full Frame 35mm Sensors create a shallower Depth of Field
• High quality and relatively inexpensive lenses
• Integral “film look”

Some of the disadvantages are:

• Limited record times
• Poor audio capability
• Limited video controls
• Lens zoom and focus not designed for motion pictures, only stills

While still very much in their infancy, I expect that DSLR’s will make great strides in the near future in terms of video capabilities, and will be viable digital cinema cameras after a few versions.