Nikon has today announced the launch of the Nikon D7100, the latest DSLR in its range of DX cameras aimed at photography enthusiasts.

The 24.1-megapixel Nikon D7100 price tag will be £1099.99 / €1329.00 for the D7100 body only, and a £1299.99 / €1579.00 Nikon D7100 price tag for the body + 18-105mm lens kit.

According to the official Nikon announcement, the Nikon D7100 release date will be 21 March 2013.

The Nikon D7100 boasts a number of improvements over the Nikon D7000, Nikon says – although the company is keen to point out that the Nikon D7100 does not replace the D7000. Rather, the Nikon D7100 sits above the D7000 and below the Nikon D600 in the Nikon DSLR range.

Along with the newly developed 24.1-megapixel DX-format CMOS sensor, the Nikon D7100 offers users a “professional-level” 51-point AF system, of which 1 are cross-type.

Nikon says rapid focusing can be achieved with the Nikon D7100′s AF system on a largely blurred image, due to faster initial AF detection. AF operation can also be achieved under a combined aperture value of f/8, allowing photographers to use more combinations of lenses and teleconverters. The Nikon D7100 is the 5th Nikon DLSR now to offer this function.

The D7100 also allows phase-detection AF down to a minimum luminance of -2 EV, and offers an ISO range of ISO 100-6400, which is extendable to ISO 25,600 in Hi2 mode.

Also new to the Nikon D7100 is the company’s decision not to employ an optical low pass filter (OLPF). By removing the OLPF, Nikon says the 24.1MP sensor makes the most of its megapixels for higher resolution.

Explaining the decision to journalists in London, Nikon said that as pixel density increases, the effects – such as more – they were previously trying to avoid by using an optical low pass filter become less common. And because of this they can now remove the filter, which allows sensors to capture fine details and sharper images.

The Nikon D7100 also employs Nikon’s EXPEED 3 processing engine, which the company says gives the camera a higher speed of operation, enhanced noise reduction, more vibrant colours and an expanded dynamic range.

Other signature features of the Nikon D7100 include a 1.3x crop mode, giving photographers an extra telephoto effect on their lenses. The Nikon D7100 crop mode reduces pictures to 15.4 megapixels, but gives photographers an extra wide AF coverage as the 51 AF points fill more of the frame.

Using the Nikon D7100 crop mode, photographers will also benefit from faster continuous shooting at 7 frames per second, compared to 6fps in normal mode.

The Nikon D7100 records full HD movies at frame rates of up to 60i/50i in 1.3x crop mode and up to 30p/25p/24p in DX format.

Also on board is a 3.2in, 1229K-dot LCD, offering a 170-degree wide viewing angle and a 1000:1 contrast ratio, a viewfinder offering 100% frame coverage with 0.94x magnification and a 2,016-pixel RGB metering sensor with Scene Recognition.

The Nikon D7100 also boasts two SD card slots, which photographers can set to record JPEG and raw format files individually, as well as set to record movies or allow overflow and back-up recording.

Additional improvements with the Nikon D7100, Nikon says, include improved grips on the front and back of the camera body, a magnesium alloy body – including the top and rear covers – enhanced weather sealing, sensor cleaning, an improved texture on the mode dial, as well as a mode dial lock release, and a more compact, lightweight design.

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Nikon D5200 vs D7000: which is the best camera for you

Nikon’s new D5200 is aimed at ‘advanced beginners’, but it has a higher resolution sensor than the older Nikon D7000 model, which is aimed at enthusiasts. The D5200 also has a better movie mode and an articulating LCD display.

So which one should you buy? Here are the key differences between the Nikon D5200 vs D7000, and what they mean in practice.

Nikon D5200 vs D7000: the key differences, 1-5

1. Sensor
The Nikon D5200 has a newer 24-megapixel sensor compared to the 16-megapixel sensor in the older Nikon D7000. It might sound a big difference, but 16 megapixels is a high resolution in itself, and the D7000’s sensor is very good. You may see a significant difference in your pictures, but you’ll have to look for it.

2. LCD display
Both cameras have high-resolution 920,000-dot LCD displays, but while the D7000’s is fixed, the D5200’s can flip out and rotate to any angle. These so-called ‘articulating’ displays are not essential for everyday photography, but they can be very useful when shooting movies, close-ups or subjects which are tricky to get to.

3. Memory
In a Nikon D5200 vs D7000 comparison, both use SD, SDHC or SDXC memory cards, but the D7000, like many professional cameras, has two card slots. You can use these to boost the overall capacity, store backups as you shoot or separate different types of files, such as JPEGs and raw format files, or stills and movies.

4. Viewfinder
It’s a small difference in the overall Nikon D5200 vs D7000 comparison, but nevertheless a significant one. The Nikon D5200 uses a cheaper ‘pentamirror’ design for its viewfinder which delivers a slightly inferior viewfinder image and only 95% coverage of the frame. The D7000 uses a superior ‘pentaprism’ design and the viewfinder shows 100% of the scene the sensor will capture.

5. Continuous shooting
The Nikon D5200 can shoot continuously at 5 frames per second, but the Nikon D7000 can shoot at 6fps. It’s a small difference in our Nikon D5200 vs D7000 match-up, but if you’re shooting sports or action, every little helps.

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Nikon is offering up to £100 cash back on purchases of selected DSLRs from its range up through May.

The offer extends to purchases of the Nikon D3100, D5100 and D7000. Details of the Nikon cashback offer are as follows:

Nikon D3100
£30/€35 cashback when the customer purchases the D3100 body only or with any 1 new NIKKOR lens
£45/€50 cashback when the customer purchases the D3100 with any two new NIKKOR lenses

Nikon D5100
£50/€60 cashback when the customer purchases the D5100 body only or with any 1 new NIKKOR lens
£65/€75 cashback when the customer purchases the D5100 with any two new NIKKOR lenses

Nikon D7000
£80/€95 cashback when the customer purchases the D7000 body only or with any 1 new NIKKOR lens
£100/€115 cashback when the customers purchases the D7000 with any two new NIKKOR lenses

The Nikon cashback offer runs through 30 May 2012, and all claims must be received by 30 June 2012 in order to qualify, Nikon says.

The offer follows the announcement earlier this week that Nikon is revising the price of the Nikon D800 and D4 upwards in the UK and Ireland following an internal error.

For more information on the promotion and how to submit your claims, visit the Nikon website.

In our ongoing review of some of the more popular current and ‘out of date’ digital cameras, we want to help you better harness the creative potential of your DSLR or compact system camera.

Call them camera tips, or call it a user’s guide to your favourite digital camera. The advice below comes from experts who have used the Nikon D7000 and know this DSLR inside and out.

If you have your own Nikon D7000 tips you’d like to share, post them in the comments below – or send them jeff.meyer@futurenet.com. What we want to build is an ever-growing user’s guide of Nikon D7000 tips that come not from a press release or a lab test, but from the photographers who shoot with this DSLR.

We want to inspire you to twist the mode dial and move beyond your favourite settings and functions and get more out of your Nikon D7000 starting today! So without further ado…

Nikon D7000 Tip 1
CHECK YOUR MODE

The release mode dial has a lock to prevent it being moved by accident, but the mode dial above it doesn’t. Always check that you haven’t nudged it onto an inappropriate mode!

Nikon D7000 Tip 2
SETTINGS TO SUIT YOU

The User Settings on the mode dial are great for saving and recalling your favourite settings (of a much-visited sports hall, for example).

Nikon D7000 Tip 3
BOOST MEMORY

The second memory card slot can be used to add extra capacity, for backup, or to separate RAW and JPEG files (or stills and movies). Try ‘Role played by card in slot 2’ in the Shooting menu.

Nikon D7000 Tip 4
FLASH COMMANDER

The built-in flash can act as a commander to trigger and regulate external Nikon Speedlight flashguns. Set it up using ‘Flash cntrl for built-in flash’, which is found in the Custom Setting menu.

Nikon D7000 Tip 5
MORE FROM MOVIES

The D7000 is the best Nikon DSLR yet for shooting movies, but results will still improve immeasurably when you use a tripod. For the best results, always use a video-specific stand.

Nikon D7000 Tip 6
CLEAN YOUR SENSOR

It is well worth using your Nikon D7000′s auto cleaning option, especially if you frequently swap lenss. Setting this function to clean your sensor at startup and shutdown is far easier than cleaning it manually. What’s more, you don’t need to worry about waiting for the cleaning cycle to finish when switching on your D7000 before you can start shooting. If you press any camera controls the cycle is automatically cut short!