If you still have 35 mm photographic transparencies (slides) which you will some day transfer to your Mac (or other computer), now is a good time to get equipped with a slide copying adaptor, especially if your DSLR system is Nikon.

Grays of Westminster, the best Nikon dealer on the planet, are offering two slide copying bundles to help nudge you to the task.

The first is aimed at those with ‘full size’ FX DSLRs, and costs £520 with free delivery. It consists of:

• Nikon AF-S 60mm f/2.8G Micro Nikkor lens
• Nikon ES-1 Slide Copying Adapter
• Nikon BR-5 Macro Adapter Ring.

The second is aimed at those with DX DSLRs, and costs £270 with free delivery. It consists of:

• Nikon AF-S 40mm f/2.8G Micro Nikkor lens
• Nikon ES-1 Slide Copying Adapter.

If you already have the expensive bit, the lens, then they can offer competitive pricing on the adaptors to match.

All you need to add is your DSLR, and an even source of light.

Many users find slide copying adaptors a quick and simple way to turn old transparencies/slides into digital images, and they do so at resolutions very similar to the best prosumer scanners. Using 35 mm film in a slide adaptor, a 10 Mpixel camera will deliver around 2500 dots per inch, and a 20 Mpixel camera around 5000 dots per inch. If you want higher resolution with a scanner, then you would need a model such as Epson’s V800, which supports 6400 dots per inch, but will cost you £450-£500, and doesn’t have a Nikon mount.