For the D5200, Nikon took the body of the D5100 but significantly updated the inside. That includes a new, higher-resolution CMOS sensor, and the same new autofocus and metering systems that debuted in the D600. Though it's been announced in Europe and is slated to ship there in December, the official word from Nikon US is, "Nikon Corporation announced a new product in select markets worldwide but not in the U.S. at this time." However, the D5100 is over a year old, so I can't imagine that the U.S. announcement for the camera is very far behind. Note that the D7000, an all-around excellent camera, remains widely available for less than $1,000, which may affect the company's pricing and release decisions.

The only notable problem with the D5100 in my view is the performance; the D5200 incorporates a newer version of the Expeed processing engine plus updated autofocus, so I'm hoping that the speed gets a needed boost from that. It also has improved video specs -- not so much in its the ability to do a meh 1080/60i as the desirable 720/60p -- plus a built-in stereo mic. While it adds Nikon's full-time AF for video, it's not as fast or quiet as Canon's STM contrast-AF implementation; on the other hand, it doesn't require a whole new set of expensive lenses.

Here's how it compares to some of its competitors, assuming that it's priced about the same as the D5100:

While it sounds like a potentially nice camera, the D5200 doesn't really stand out from the specialized competition: Canon has its video-optimized AF system, Pentax has its weather-resistant bodies, and Sony has its speedy models with built-in geotagging. The D5200 supports wireless, but only through the Wireless Mobile Adapter WU-1a USB dongle. Still, based on the popularity of the D5100, I suspect if Nikon decides to ship the D5200 here it would sell enough to justify its existence.