Is the APS-C DOF penalty all that important?

I see benefits of both sides. Having shot manual often I know the difference between 1.5 stops of DOF is often a sharp shot vs an oof shot. A 7D for example is blessed with great AF and an apsc DOF advantage. I dont think anybody would mistake the 7D for a landscape camera, it is indeed designed with action in mind and for tracking that extra DOF is valuable.

There are advantages both ways, but as AF performance for crop bodies improves the advantage of a wider DOF for tracking will become more apparent.