My recommendation is for you to get a Canon 7D. I have the Canon 7D for a few years now, and I love the camera. It's a powerful, flexible tool- capable of capturing a variety of quality photos. I upgraded from a Canon 350D (my first DSLR).
The Canon 7D is certainly a much superior camera than any 'Rebel' / beginner or entry level camera. I also find the 7D more intuitive and powerful enough to still be a great 'current buy' (eg liveview, powerful AF, frame rate, etc).
It's a great handling camera. Sure, pixel peeping will show it hasn't got the lowest ISO of any camera, but really - for most photography, it's still good and very capable of superb photos. The upcoming firmware will add some functionality too.
While some people say "you need a full frame (FF) camera to capture high quality images" - this is absolutely not true. Many current APS-C cameras have quality that is far beyond what the people who own them can get out of them. I will not argue that the latest FF cameras have superior image quality... but the difference is often very hard to perceive at normal viewing levels. And yes, I've used a Canon 5DmkIII... to compare make this statement.
My lenses (wide to tele):
Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 HSM EX
Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM
Canon EF 70-300mm L f/4-5.6 IS USM
The only lens that I feel like I'm still 'waiting for' is a new Canon EF 50mm USM fast prime. I previously had the Canon 50mm f/1.8, but the bokeh or focussing was not up to my standards. I previously had a good copy of the Canon 28-135mm which had decent image quality. But I sold this when I bought the Canon 15-85mm, as the 15-85mm is much more suited to an APS-C (1.6x crop) DSLR, providing a 35mm focal length equivalent 24mm - 135mm. Additionally the Canon 15-85 has superior overall image quality, and is my main 'go to lens'.
A few other considerations for my recommendation for you to start with an APS-C camera, and consider lenses like I have above.
1) the fact that APS-C cameras often get better corner to corner sharpness of many lenses (I like this... it almost means that getting the same sharpness corner to corner requires less expensive lenses, or more flexible lens options).
2) I obtain 'greater reach' at the tele-end, (ok, due to higher pixel density on the 7D than any FF camera) - particularly on my 70-300mm L (which gets me to a 480mm equivalent!)
Other accessories I have and use frequently, which you might like to consider:
Lowepro shoulder bag (for camera and 2 lenses)
Lowepro backpack (holding 1 DSLR and all my lenses)
a sturdy, portable Manfrotto tripod
Nissin DI866mkII flash (compatible with Canon 7D, half price of Canon's 580EXII)
Hahnel wireless remote (also functions as an intervalmeter)
I hope this helps. For sure, if you feel that you NEED to go full frame in the future, then do (if you can justify / afford the expense of course). But... I know many people who own APS-C cameras with good lenses (good glass is the most important) - and obtain great photos.
Regards
Paul
