The time has come - EOS 7D by Canon. Before we are getting excited here, this isn't official material yet but leaked on a Chinese forum. Official word may come soon.

Lets take a closer look at the specs mentioned in the forum. They look interesting.

Before we go on to the camera specs, they had mentioned tthat there are 3 new lenses as well.  EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS, an EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS, and an EF 100mm f/2.8 L IS USM Macro).

  • 18 megapixels
  • Dual DiG!C 4 imaging processors, 14-bit A/D signal conversion
  • 8 FPS (94 Large/Fine JPEGS or 15 RAW)
  • 19 points cross type AF sensors. Eight-directional double cross central AF point
  • ISO 100-6400, extends to 12800
  • 100% coverage, 1.0x optical viewfinder with intelligent display, with electronic horizon line.
  • 3.0? LCD, 920,000 dot resolution, 160 degree viewing angle
  • New iFCL meter system using high contrast and color detection (63-zone)
  • Newly-designed streamlined body, metallic shutter sound, shutter lifespan approx. 150,000 times
  • HD movie, HDMI out, external mic input
  • EOS Integrated Dust Removal system
  • Live view with Face-priority AF
  • Auto Lighting Optimizer
  • Auto correction of lens peripheral illumination (vignetting)
  • New switch for Live View/Video mode
  • New 24mm wide-angle built-in flash supporting EOS E-TTL II
No mentioning on the sensor size except an increased megapixel and also adopting HD movie recording function.  Might sound disappointing but on the overall, an enhancement in a way and perhaps an answer to Nikon's D300s.

No price or retail date was mentioned, of course. Lets hope the official word from Canon is pretty much around the corner.