I have been trying to paste an article i wrote my opinion of the Canon 7d dslr camera for weeks now but each time i post it i get banned, and the post gets deleted. Am checkin this to see if it's allowed, then i'll post the article,
Thanks

The Canon 7d for Video: Myth or Reality
Recently there’s been quite some hype on the video capabilities of Canon 7D DSLR camera. Everyone has talked about its ability to shoot crisp HD video. So after some research and experience, here’s my own thots…as a comparision, I will be using Panasonics immensely popular P2 HD cameras, the HVX-200 and the HPX-170
Tech aspects:
The Canon 7D shots HD video with a color resolution of 1080i (that’s 1920*1080) which is great. it records in .mov (quicktime) format using h264 compression (same as mp4 which popularly used in phones and on the internet) I have seen footage from this camera that’s breathtaking, however a further look at the tech specifications will reveal that the 7D shoots a reduced color resolution of 4:2:0 (color resolution is a ratio of the luminance to color). What this means is that while the camera picks up the full luma resolution(i.e 4); only a quarter of the color resolution is picked up.
The Panasonic HPX-200 and HPX-170 both shot at a 4:2:2 color resolution.
The Reality…
In reality, while shooting LIVE shots ,this is not really a problem since the human eye perceives more luminance info than color, so shots from this camera shot in live environments or sets still looks awesome.
However the only major weakness of this format and hence the Canon 7D becomes evident when shooting greenscreen ( or as they are popularly called here- “Chroma Video”).
From experience Keying out greenscreen footage under the same conditions results in more artifacts and rougher edges than with the P2 Camera’s . that’s where u’ll see the impotance of the “extra” color resolution
Being somewat of a traditionalist, I am also a little bit worried about the trend of using Photo cameras to shoot video, the camera after was primarily designed to shoot photos with video as a bonus,
Here’s an analogy,
While your DSTV enabled phone allows you watch video, Don’t you still prefer to sit back and watch “real” TV on your 32’ TV set at home?
( the phone is still primarily a bloody phone-made basically for phone calls)
Conclusion
While the 7D has rather nice video options and quality, if am heading out for a shoot, I’lld pick up my trusty P2 camera….
You?
Damseremie…

Well, i seem to have figured it out,  it seems the nairaland "Super-moderators" have set it up such that if u copy and paste any text (rather than typing it) u'll get banned and the post deleted, MAJOR FLAW, 
Since my review is pretty long andi've already typed it b4 (in microsoft word), I just dont see myself re-typing it all over again

It's damseremie,  i just got banned again and am using my alternate ID (which i got wen i got banned b4 for no reason )to post this
Mayb i'll try and attach the word document,

Well i attached my article in pdf format.(since am NOT allowed to post it directly) .let me know wat u think,

here's the same article in microsoft word,

nice article. but u are wrong. i have used p2, 7d and i own a canon rebel t2i.

P2 is a great camera, but it needs a DOF adapter before u can use a professional lens. the P2 also does not handle low light very well. maybe becuase most people do not use the right lens. i don blame them, they do not have an adaptor to use a lens with the P2. (apart from fish-eye)

with a dslr, you do not need an expensive adaptor. u can use a wide range of professional lenses. you can get great depth of field using these lenses.

the rebel t2i is a lower cost model of the 7d but it produces slighty better image than the 7d. with the right lens, you can shoot awesome low light shots without a single noise. i doubt u can do that with the p2. correct me if i am wrong.


you talked about green screen.

i love the 7d with green screen. all i need to do is set the picture profile with the sharpness all the way up. as long as you light it properly, you'll generally have a better result than the p2.

also look into plugins like keylight or matte keyer. i am asuming u use the standard keyer in premiere or after effects. they are not very effective.

also note that most people that use the 7d or even 5d, do not fully know how to get the best picture. i have gone through a great video training and fully understand how these cameras work and what lens to use and when.

dont writre off the 7d. there is a reason why many people are swithing.

visit www.vimeo.com do a search for '7d test' and 'p2 test'. you will notice that the p2 video are lower quality.


But altimately, its not the equipment. its the skill. u can use a camera phone and make a great music video if u want. just know what u are doing.

cheers.

I forgot to mention that 2f the reasons the Canon 7D is so popular,
1.It's affordable
2.It has a very Shallow Depth of Field (Great for a film-like look)

But the absence of a proper audio input (audio is best taken separately), the camera's tendency to overheat,it's 12 minute recording limit and the the absolute need for a tripod(no run and shoot for this camera) kill it for me,
I think It an excellent still camera and a very good B-cam but for professional purpose (even with the numerous rigs and attachments), it just doesn't stand up to it for me,

Like how much does it cost to rent the canon 7d and how does it cost to buy one?Please I need you response guys.Thanks.

One man's meat is another man's poison
What i find interesting is that a lot of I people i know that have the hvx200,hpx171 ex1 are now shooting mostly with the 7d and the 5d.
ALL camera's have their advantages and disadvantage and one should ideally pick a camera according to one's needs.

@L_funk
Ur right , one man's meat,
like dasa said , the major reason people use the 7d/5d/Rebel T21 are for the interchangeable lenses and it low-light capabilities
It's a pretty good cameras but those little extras i have gotten used to on a regular video camera , am kinda used to em,
Time will tell. but i think it's a fad which will move on in a year or so,

I would not that say that dslr's are a fad . I have owned my 5d mk2 for almost 2 years now and the buzz for dslr is still very strong. Dslr's have had a huge impact on the filming community. NOT BECAUSE OF HYPE but because they produce beautiful images, have swallow dof, good low light capabilities, size, cost etc. I have owned the HVX200 and hpx171 with the sgpro 35mm adapter and they just did not give me what I needed from a camera. In an studio or controlled environment they were ok but for events like weddings there were almost useless. Having to carry around a laptop to offload media just did not make sense. Now for me p2 media cards are hype. There is not much a p2 cards can do that a cf or sd card can't. Boy did the hvx200 like noise or what.  Selling my p2 cameras was the best thing I ever did . They do have some good points but they were heavily outweighed by the bad ones for my needs. After selling my p2 cameras I brought the Canon XHA1s . What a massive improvement especially over the hvx200. Cheaper media, better build quality better ergonomics better image quality more custom settings. A joy to use .The only thing the p2 cameras had over the xha1 was the variable frame rates and 442 colour space which is not that much of a big deal for me. I currently own the Canon HV20 (best pound for pound camera ever made), XHA1s,  Canon 7d, Canon 5D mk2 and the sgpro 35mm adapter.Now none of these cameras are perfect but between all of them they fulfil my filming needs.