Drool Alert: RED Scarlet 'pocket professional' mini camcorder

It's NAB 2008 time, and RED has revealed its Scarlet "pocket professional" camera.

"Why should I care?" you ask. Oh, I don't know -- maybe because it's packed with a 2/3-inch Mysterium X sensor, can shoot at 1 to 120 FPS (180 FPS in burst mode) and records to twin CompactFlash cards, which can handle up to 100MB per second of the cam's HD video.

The diminutive handheld camera also has a 4.8-inch LCD that comes with an 8x zoom lens. HMDI, HD-SDI, FireWire 800 and USB 2.0 inputs are built in and WiFi control is included.

What's that? How much, you say? The company's keeping mum: "Specifications, delivery dates and design are subject to change... count on it," the website states, with the added caveat that the company won't be taking reservations for the cam, which is due in early 2009. Engadget has pinned the price to be a bit under $3,000, but is that really a question worth asking, pro?

In my experience, great video in a small package is hard to come by. Have any experience with RED? Think this product is worth saving for? Tell us in TalkBack.