every week there's some supposed comment made by ______ (insert whatever upper level canon person "in the know" you'd like here) that there will never be any more 1.3 crop, that 1.3 is here to stay for at least a few more generations, that there will be a merged 1D and 1Ds line, that there are no plans to merge them, etc etc etc. Fact is, no one here knows what is actually coming. We can make educated guesses, but if anyone does know, they can't say legally...

As for not seeing the point of 1.3 crop...I love it....I find it to be perfect....better pixel density, the right amount of telephoto crop and it takes the edge off of wides....cause we all know all canon wide angles suck right? Sure, I want a FF sensor too, but I do not want a 1.6. For an all-in-one solution for my needs, and the needs of most PJ's I know shooting canon, a 1.3 is their preference. Last I checked, that camera was aimed at people who's jobs are exactly that...

And If the 1D series is merged, I hope that they give 1.3, 1.6, and maybe 2x as crop options. I just would rather have a full-sized high fps design than something that needs to be cropped to get high FPS.

My ideal backup camera would be rugged enough, fully weathersealed, use the same batteries as a 1D, same controls (including holding buttons for changing things), have a 1.3 crop, and either a 45pt AF or a new ~21pt AF system with 5+ HP cross AF sensors at f/4 and faster and AF at f/8. Canon can make $1700-2300 from me for this camera, or I can give someone else money for a used 1DII. A 3D would be a great step-up camera for rebel class and 10/20/30D users, as well as a great backup for a 1D class user (who'd either get a 30D or buy a used camera or keep using an old body - they'd make more money on this camera than they seem to think). Perhaps the 5D was just the first camera to shake things up...the 3D coulod be the same as the EOS3 was to the EOS1 line - a nearly as good camera for half the price....