OK - I'm going out on a limb here and may well display my ignorance on the technical realities - flame protecting suit is on.

Canon (dslr) and some others produce stunning high resolution still images with their optics and capture block. They sport a FULL 35mm sensor with FULL CONTROL capturing resolution way way beyond 1920.

Enter HD video with the need to capture 24 frames per second for extended clips and go to larger ccd sensors or faster cmos to avoid jello vision. The larger zoom ratios may be causing the problem (my dslr are like 3x at most) - perhaps we need less zoom and better CA performance.

Why can not SONY or Panasonic get it all together in a package? Might that prosumer ($7,000 give or take) camera eat into their much higher end cameras and erode their corporate profit margin? I think so. If the prosumer end gets much better there may be far fewer willing to pay the ultra high premiums for the pro line. Thus, we appear to get "compromised " releases. I fully believe the capability more than exists to manufacture global shutter cmos or to cool larger ccd sensors or to produce CA free zoom lenses at 10x or so.

well I always said for the last 20 years to pick the lens with the less zoom range, you tend to get a better image (given same brand and price range) with a lens that doesn't try to do as much.....

Lenses are a combination of compromises. Fixed focal length lenses have some compromises and zooms have more. The more zoom range, the more compromises. Though a $8,000 lens usually looks killer by anyone's yard stick regardless of range... At that price manufacturers rarely make lemons.... rarely....... (why do I think of Aliens... "they mostly come at night....... mostly...")

CA exists EVEN on a fixed focal length $3,000 35mm lens.. you just don't see it easily.

I would prefer to have a shorter zoom range, or even just a digital readout in the viewfinder to remind me of my range so I know where not to pass in my range if I get distracted.

Alex - '... you just don't see it easily ..." - sooooooo important.

I've been using a lil Canon HF 100 to educate myself into HD video. To some extent, the pixel peeping, tech specs, and internet video samples have both educated me and clouded my decision making (or lack there of) relative to the next HD video purchase.

When I took the SDHC card from the HF 100 and played it through our Panasonic BluRay on our Panasonic Viera - WOW - stunning clarity / color / detail. Several of the locked down clips would stack up with the best I've seen from Discovery HD or Animal Planet HD. That is NOT a comment on any skill I may have but rather what this equipment is capable of - even on auto function.

My plan is to wait a bit longer to see what Canon comes up with next - and to see the reviews of the Canon 14x on the JVC 700.

At days end it is about the image / composition / flow / planning / .......