Twice a year the photography market gets a wave of new gear, and this August while the Canon shooters are waiting to hear about the imminent 1Ds IV, Nikon has dropped a new entry level camera and four new lenses on the market. It’s all available for pre-order at the usual spots like B&H and Amazon… I’m not seeing any of this gear in Adorama’s inventory yet though.

The Nikon D3100 is an entry level camera with a 14.2 megapixel DX format CMOS sensor. Even though Nikon’s been out of the megapixel race for a long time, they decided to upgrade this camera’s predecessor’s sensor by a full 4 MP. It also has 1080p video recording, a built-in HDMI port, an expanded ISO range up to 12,800 and 11-point AF.

The AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4G ED VR continues Nikon’s march into Canon’s territory of professional grade f/4 zoom lenses, which it began in February with the 16-35mm f/4.

Nikon’s also upgraded their much-loved fast portrait lens with the AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.4G. Among the features added to this new lens are silent wave focus, Nano Crystal coat, and a whole new optical system.

Finishing off Nikon’s announcement are two super-zoom lenses: the AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR for FX cameras and the AF-S NIKKOR 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR for DX cameras. Both have ED glass and Vibration Reduction.