Are they planning on replacing or upgrading the 7D any time soon?

Also will I notice a huge difference in video quality between the 24-70 L and the stock 28-135 lenses?

Thanks, new convert from an EX1 (still keeping and using my EX1, just want a second camera for interviews, close-ups, detail shots etc...)

1. Only Canon knows the answer - but probably not until back end of next year is my guess.

2. YES! (especially in low light)..... But if you want/need IS (and you may have the budget for a Canon 24-70mm F2.8) then you should also really consider the Canon 17-55mm F2.8 IS EF-S lens - it's the best "walk about zoom" for the 7D, or if money is tight then the stock lens you mention is a "reasonablly good start", especially for video (as long as you don't expect to do much indoor video shooting without lighting it).

Bear in mind that many will tell you that the 7D does not really "come alive" until you get good fast glass on it (F1.8 to F1.4 area). I have an old Olympus OM 50mm F1.8 and it's a lovely look. It's a great sensor, don't starve it of light! Constant aperture zoom lenses (fastest you'll get are F2.8) are also a great benefit for video shooting as you don't then need to adjust exposure setting when you quickly re-frame for the next clip.

My personal style of shooting also greatly benefits from having IS - as I love minimal kit/handholding with the 7D to remain highly mobile/flexible....much more so than with my other main camera - and I absolutely hate those microjitters we see all over the web with DSLR shooting by many. This is why I've got the 17-55 with IS, not the 24-70 without IS - but if most of what you'll do is on a tripod then maybe this is not so important.

I'm thinking the 7D was never designed to replace any sort of Canon video cam.

That has been re-inforced by the fact that Canon has neglected to update files as they have done on the 5DMKII....I owned one of those...liked my XH A1 for video better.

Why the 7D?

It's a great still camera.

When the 7D came out, it had 8 fps(8 frames per second) plus 18 focus points....that's one great camera for action shooting....and you get that 8 fps without having to buy a 1D.

The closest I came (to 8 fps)in the past was a Canon Mark IIn....super camera.

Canon has updated the 5DMKII with sound and video graphics....doesn't work the best with sound.

I guess I don't expect that on the 7D should be used as a video camera.

Truth is, being an XH A1 owner, I would sooner go an XF300 to get the video/sound I needed.

I don't think it was designed to replace the standard video camera; it's a different tool.

If you're accustomed to shooting with the 1/3" chip camcorders, that's probably your best bet. HDSLR shooting is much closer to shooting motion picture film than it is to video: You have to do double system sound, use ND filters, shoot fully manually, don't zoom, use prime lenses, etc. The only reason for going back to film-style shooting is because of the image quality. If the smaller chip video cameras do it, then it's best to stick with them. And for some types of shooting they are clearly the best tool.

I think the 7D is actually better for video than the 5DII, in terms of usability. I've shot with both, have the 5D now. Having manual audio gain on the 5D is pretty much irrelevant. I still shoot double system sound with the Zoom H4N.

As to the original posted question--that 28-135 lens is better than you'd expect for the price, and since it adds only $200 to the kit price, it is probably worth getting. However, it's not a good lens for shooting interviews. You can do it as long as you light so you're at a 5.6, because if you zoom in to change focal lengths between questions (as I do), then the lens will stop down and if you start out at wide angle shooting wide open, then your only quick recourse is to increase ISO, not something you'd want to do in an interview. Also, when I do interviews I usually want to blur out the background because there are often distracting things happening. You really need to open up to at least an f2.8 on the 7D to do that effectively. So, you really need a lens that's 2.8 all the way. The 70mm at the long end is usually adequate for a tight shot, but sometimes not quite long enough for those eyebrow to chin type ECUs you might want for emphasis, so think about how close you can get your camera in to the subject. The 24-105 would be an ideal lens for that use on the 7D but it's only an f4, which won't give you a lot of shallowness in the DOF, but if that's not an issue it might be something to look at. I shot a lot of interviews with the 7D at 320 and 640 ISO and they looked great.

I want to put in a good word for the L series 24-105 zoom. Over the past year I have used my 7D, equipped with that lens to shoot 25 sit-down interviews for a documentary that I'm producing & directing. While you are certainly correct that a 2.8 zoom would yield shallower depth of field, I have been quite happy with the result I've been getting shooting at f4.

I think the HDSLR fits in nicely as a component for video production with "made for video" cams like the XLH1 or XHGI?A1.

We use our 7D as a specialty shot - closeups with background thrown out of focus (with a beautiful bokeh) with a Canon 35mm 1.4 - low light shots - wide angle shots with Tokina 11-16mm

The HDSLR definitely steps up the production value of a piece and has it's place in a kit for production.

Keeping fingers crossed that the 7D will soon inherit the firmware upgrades needed as well as uncripple the HDMI output for recording to recorders like the CD nanoFlash to get past a lot of the internal compression artifacts. Once you have seen the possibilities with an HDSLR like the 7D you will not want to be without the added opportunities it gives you to add to what standard made for video cameras do.