I agree the comment that you feel like a filmmaker with a HDSLR. It brings out the photographer in me.

The 7D and a L Glass zoom like my 24-105 is much heavier than my video camera or my last still camera, but I have to remind myself that I am carrying around a 35mm motion picture camera. If you treat it as such it won't steer your wrong.

Alan

Well, I've been using for "doc style" corporate work and honestly, when you handle it correctly (which takes practice) it is more than acceptable. I've also used it for interviews and really its great just time your 12min breaks during a question. But yes the commercial work where each take is less than 1min is the easy. I actually prefer to use a zfinder (or similar) over an HD monitor if no additional field monitors are needed.

YES record separate audio! I've been using the Tascam DR100 with excellent results. MUCH cleaner than the HVX too.

My HVX200 is pretty much collecting dust at this point, although I bring it as a backup camera.
p

Have a look at the season finale of House on Fox. It was shot with a 5DmkII. Anyone who thinks they're not ready for prime time might want to have a second thought. They're not a replacement for the big guy's rigs, but they can put out a fabulous image.

I"d love to use one of my MXO2's to record to prores.... but not yet. how STUPID they don't give you a clean HDMI output.

Yes me too. I used to shoot a lot of photographs on an SLR when I was an undergraduate at art school. Using shallow DOF as a means to make the everyday more abstract and dramatic was my thing back then. I then moved on to digital cameras and lost the passion for exploring photography from a creative point of view. Video became my medium of choice but without the shallow DOF I couldn't really bring my photographic aesthetic across to the new medium.

The first time I went out and shot some images with a 5D II I remembered why I used to love taking photographs. The fact that this camera also brought that shallow DOF into the video realm was the perfect alignment of all my previous interests and experience.