Canon has just announced the latest addition to its line of DSLRs, the EOS-1D C — this camera features an 18.1-megapixel full frame sensor, and is also the first Canon DSLR that can record video at 4K resolution (4096 x 2160). There's no word yet on when this camera will be available beyond sometime in 2012; it'll retail for $15,000 when it does hit store shelves.

While the camera's sensor can be used for capturing still images (with the same megapixel count as the recently-launched EOS-1D X), video is clearly this camera's main focus. It records 8-bit 4:2:2 Motion JPEG 4K at 24FPS and can also fall back to "standard" 1920 x 1080 HD at rates between 24FPS and 60FPS. ISO sensitivity for video ranges up to 25,600 in extended mode, and uncompressed 1080p video can be output from the camera's HDMI port to an external recording. The body design appears to be nearly identical to that of the 1D X — remember the prototype rig? — and it also contains the earlier camera's dual CF slots.

The 1D C offers a few different crop settings for capturing alternate viewpoints, as well — 4K video is recorded using an APS-H-sized portion of the sensor (this would provide a 1.3x crop factor, as compared to the 1.6x crop factor typically seen in APS-C sensor cameras). When shooting in 1080p, users can shoot with either the full frame of few to achieve the maximum angle of view for their lens, or they can crop down "Super 35." This viewpoint closely matches the industry-standard format and field of view see in traditional motion picture cameras.

Of course, the 1D C features many of the still photography features found in the 1D X — it has the dual DIGIC 5+ processors and standard ISO range of 100 - 51,200 for still photos, and can shoot at 12fps. There's also an "ultra-fast" continuous shooting mode that can capture JPGs at 14 fps by keeping the mirror raised throughout shooting. While no one will be buying this camera for its still image performance alone, it's good to know that it remains competitive with the 1D X. While Canon hasn't released the camera's full specs yet, we're looking forward to hearing much more about this multi-purpose beast in the coming months.