Nikon has "pre announced" the D70, a $1000 digital SLR intended to compete with the Canon (300D) Digital Rebel and, to an extent, the 10D.

By specs alone, the D70 has some interesting features:

• A true 1% spot meter, in addition to standard matrix metering.
• It weighs 1.5lb (versus the 10D's 1.7lb)

These are in addition to Nikon's generally high-quality camera specs.

Interesting things that may count against it:

• Its lowest ISO setting is 200.
• Only a 1.8" LCD
• When shooting RAW (NEF), its buffer only holds 4 shots.
• USB 1.1
• It weighs 1.5lb, versus the 300D's 1.2lb
• Still not a full-frame sensor (1.5x crop)

Overall, it looks like a fantastic camera (by the specs). Only testing will tell what its picture quality is. The D100 shares the D70's lower-end of ISO 200; I'm not sure what to make of that. I'm also not sure why one would buy Nikon's D100 once the D70 hits the market. Maybe someone with sharper eye and an investment in Nikon gear can fill me in.

It isn't clear whether the D70 will compete with the 300D, or whether it will put pressure on Canon to lower the 10D's price. If I had to guess, however, Canon will be rolling out updates to the DSLR line soon, updates that will bring increased features and higher resolution.