More and more the 7D looks like the camera for me. Not that I go to Antarctica a lot, but when I do trek about, my camera comes with me rain or shine. My old 350D/Rebel XT survived quite a torrent in Kyoto, but I wouldn’t trust it or my newer Rebel XSi in a blizzard. Luckily, my job can be done from home; I don’t have to crawl on my belly through frozen mud and risk seal bites every day at magic hour. This guy does.
Ole Jørgen Liodden does field reviews of Canon gear, and he recently took the new 7D down to Antarctica to test it out alongside a 5D mk II and 1DS mk III. It performed admirably, I’m happy to say, though you can read the reservations and details in his write-up, which I won’t repeat here.
BY THE WAY. Did you notice the terrifying seal maw in the lower left right corner of the picture above? How would you like to take video of penguins with one of those bastards chewing on your tripod — or worse? The life of the nature photographer is a strange and terrifying one to be sure.