Hi!

I would like to buy a 7D, and along for making short films, I would like to use it with Panasonic HS-400 HD video switcher and EX1 cameras as a third camera sometimes. I already have Blackmagic HDMI to SDI converter. But I was reading that 7D is not giving full hd on HDMI but 1620 x 910
Is it only while recording or all the time?

How about 5D? I know it outputs 480p while recording, but can it output full 1920x1080 while not recording? Can any of the HDSLR do that?

Thanks for your reply

I own a 7D and can speak from first hand experience that that HDMI output is only good for monitoring. The quality is NOT full 1080p HD. This is an often talked about topic in this and other HDSLR related forums.

Also note that that the loss in resolution is accompanied by a reduction in image size within the frame, i.e. letterboxed and pillarboxed.