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Nikon's new D80 10.2 megapixel digital SLR brings in high-end photography features at a very appealing price, and stores images to everyday SD media.

After a few months of speculation and rumor, Nikon has officially announced its D80 digital SLR camera.

The Nikon D80 was originally intended to be a baby brother to the compay's D200 digital SLR camera, but instead it seems to be a pretty formidable sibling, lifting a good set of the D200's features wholesale and bringing them to market at a surprising price point. The Nikon D80 features a 10.2 megapixel DX Format CCD, a high-resolution color processing engine, and fast shooting times of up to three frames per second for up to 100 consecutive shots (in JPEG mode). Moreover, unlike most digital SLRs, the D80 stores images to everyday SD media. The D80 sports a 2.5-inch LCD, 11 area focus, image stabilization technology, a multiple exposure mode for compositing effects, in-camera editing functions (including red-eye correction, trim, overlays, filters, and more), plus seven scene modes designed to help photographers get great pictures right away without being burdened by the possible complexities of an SLR.

The D80 will be avaiable in September for $999.95 (body only) or $1,299.95 with lens outfit, including the 18-135mm ƒ/3.5-5.6 AF-S IF-ED DS Nikkor Lens). The D80 is compatible with the full range of AF Nikkor and DX Nikkor lenses.