Nikon on Thursday announced the launch of DX-format D7100 digital SLR camera and claims it as a compact, lightweight camera offering better portability.

The D7100 camera features a new 24.1 megapixel DX-format CMOS sensor which is designed to provide most detail-rich image and brilliant HD video. Along with the Nikon's EXPEED 3 image processing engine, the camera focuses on image quality that extends beyond amazing sharpness with wide dynamic range in lighting conditions.

"Solidifying Nikon's ongoing commitment to the DX-format D-SLR customer, the innovative D7100 provides new ways for photographers to capture their creative vision with incredible detail and precision, whether through still images or HD videos," Bo Kajiwara, Vice President of Marketing, Planning and Customer Experience, Nikon, said in a press release.

"The D7100 blends the best creative features with advanced-level functionality to give the enthusiast exactly what they want- and that's a great shooting experience before, during and after capture, from shooting to sharing."

The camera also features a new 51-point AF system with Multi-CAM 3500DX AF module, a 3.2 inch wide and bright LCD screen with high resolution of 1,229K dots and captures up to 6 frames-per-second (fps) at full resolution and up to 7 fps with slightly reduced resolution.

The new Nikon D7100 will be available beginning this March for $1599.95 with the AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 VR lens or $1199.95 for the body only configuration.

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