Why a large DSLR sensor?
Because you get larger sensor pixels and that means less noise and therefore less detail killing noise reduction. Learn more at 6mpixel.org
Why a 28 - 70 mm zoom?
Wide angle is important. 35mm simply isn't enough. I also think it's easier to build a high quality lens with less zoom range. A macro mode is a must!
Why a foldout display?
No discussions. This is a must!
Why a metal case?
I would use such a camera a very long time. A solid built metal case brings more joy.
Why RAW?
I never use JPEG if a camera offers RAW. The RAW format records the full unaltered sensor data and allows for White Balance adjustment later on. Also Photoshop offers more power and quality to compress an image to the JPEG format. If the RAW format is DNG it will be supported by Photoshop and Mac OS X right out of the box.
Why 1280 x 720 movie recording?
720p is a huge size for a computer monitor.
Why 30 fps?
Please 30.00 fps not 29.97 fps. I watch my movies on a computer there's no need for legacy TV norm frame rates or, heaven forbid interlaced video. NTSC or PAL via A/V out only.
Why 12 MB/s JPEG video compression?
JPEG is the format of choice for high quality stock images. At JPEG quality settings above 80% the compression is "visually lossless". A 30 fps, 1280 x 720 movie compressed to JPEG using a compression quality settings of 90% equals approximately 90 Mbits/s or about 12 MB/s. If the source is of high quality (large sensor) the movie quality will be stunning!
The reason for all this highly compressed and hard to edit 2 MB/s AVCHD/MPEG4/h.264 stuff is to save storage space and to allow for slower SDHC cards. But SDHC cards and computer harddrives constantly get larger, faster and cheaper.
12 MB/s JPEG compression requires a fast SDHC card (e.g. Sandisk Extreme III cards deliver 20 MB/s transfer speed). You can record 5 minutes of video on a 4 GB card and 20 minutes on a 16 GB card. Soon 32 GB cards and 40 min recording time will be available. MPEG4 is a great delivery codec but I prefer less compressed original footage.
