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In what's clearly a further attempt to migrate consumers to DSLRs, the Nikon D90's video capture facility offers one of the few features that were, until now, strictly the domain of compacts.

The mid-range D90 will capture video at a maximum resolution of 1,280 x 720 at 24 frames per second. Whether shooting video is desirable with a camera that retains the traditional, cumbersome body design of a DSLR remains to be seen, however.

Video isn't the only compact-like

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feature that is included in the D90. The camera now offers a face detection system, as well as a "Scene Recognition System" that automatically alters the focus, exposure and white balance of subjects before the shutter is fired.

The D90 has a 12.3 megapixel CMOS sensor, and is capable of capturing up to 4.5 frames per second, with a claimed 0.15 second start-up time. The camera's ISO sensitivity ranges from 200-3,200, which Nikon claims makes the still and video camera well suited to low-light conditions.

The 3in LCD screen includes a Live View mode, which is almost a pre-requisite for shooting video, and offers a claimed viewing angle of 170 degrees.

The D90 will cost £700 inc VAT for body only, or £850 with the stock 18-105mm lens, and will be available from next month.

The Nikon launch comes just a day after Canon unveiled its new mid-range camera, the EOS 50D, which boasts a 15.1 megapixel sensor, capable of capturing images at a rate of 6.3 frames per second. The better-specified 50D starts at £1,200 for the body only.