The GetDPI Photography Forum

Great to see you here. Join our insightful photographic forum today and start tapping into a huge wealth of photographic knowledge. Completing our simple registration process will allow you to gain access to exclusive content, add your own topics and posts, share your work and connect with other members through your own private inbox! And don’t forget to say hi!

Minolta Dimage Scan Multi Pro MF/35mm Scanner

Moving to smaller quarters and can’t keep my LF and smaller format scanners, so this has to go, as it can’t scan 4x5.
* High-end film scanner delivering professional results
* Scans 35mm and medium-format film
* 4,800 dpi maximum resolution (35mm)
3,200 dpi maximum resolution (medium format)
* 8- or 16-bit scanning modes
* Digital ICE, ROC, and GEM adjustments
* Multi-sample scanning up to 16x
I am the original owner, and bought this new about six years ago. It has performed flawlessly since, and has been lightly used (digressions in and out of digital). It is a great scanner for medium format or 35mm. It is perhaps half the size of the humongous Nikon 8000/9000. Unlike the Nikons, the light source is soft, so less problems with scratches and dust. (Of course it has ICE). It is IMHO, easily the equal (and I thought better) of the Nikons. I want $1,200 via Paypal, shipped in COUS. PM if any questions.

The package includes:
Minolta Dimage Scan Multi Pro (Firewire 400 and SCSI)
35mm film strip carrier (6 frames)
35mm slide carrier (4 slides)
MF 120/220 carrier (glass on bottom)
MF Multi format Set HS-P1, with adapters for 645, 6x6, 6x7, 6x9, Xpan, and blank masks you can cut for any dimension. Has multiple top covers, glass and glassless. You can do 6x12 (and probably 6x17) by reversing the film and stitching: unlike the Nikon scanners, you can have film overhanding the carrier outside the scanner, as the carrier doesn’t not go entirely into the body of the scanner.
ScanHancer diffuser glass for both 35mm and MF (goes on top of carrier/image).
SilverFast Ai Studio Multi-Exposure full license, and 35mm it8 target. Most current version is 6.6.1r6a. laserSoft may have decided to stop further development on this, but I downloaded this update earlier this year. I was running it on Mac 10.5.8, and I just tested it on 10.6.3, and it works fine with both.
Dimage Scan software (Minolta’s)- runs perfectly under both 10.5.8 and 10.6.3 (if only Nikon’s software were as solid, when I read the posts on forums). This of course will not be updated, since Minolta has gone out of the scanner business. But you can still download it from them, even now.
Because you may be more familiar with the Nikon 8000/9000, I have included some review comments below- you can dig deeper into them (Ken Rockwell’s review goes on forever).
I will ship only within the 48 continental United States, to verified buyers with confirmed addresses. No PO boxes, APO, etc. I will require a signature on delivery. Items as advertised, no returns accepted. Please contact me if you have any questions.
Reviews:
Conclusion
The previous Dimage Scan Multi model offered the capability to scan a variety of film formats, but suffered from reduced resolution when scanning medium-format film. The new Dimage Scan Multi Pro totally eliminates that limitation, and in fact sports the highest resolution we've yet seen on a desktop scanner, at least on 35mm film. (On medium format, it's still no slouch, at 3200 dpi, but isn't quite up to the 4000 dpi of some models.) At the same time, Minolta has greatly improved the electronics and made incremental enhancements to the scanning software. The net result is an exceptionally powerful scanner that is capable, fast, and easy to use. Image quality is first rate in every respect: This is a scanner that takes a back seat to no one in image quality, and is also one of the faster units we've tested, at least when running from inside Photoshop on the Mac platform. We also liked the speed and fluidity of the user interface, but that's a very subjective issue - Other people may not like it as much as we did. All in all though, the Dimage Scan Multi Pro seems like an excellent choice for professionals and serious amateurs working with medium-format film, looking to bring their scanning in-house. Kudos to Minolta on this one!
http://www.imaging-resource.com/SCAN/DSMP/DSMA.HTM?r=91191826



<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

This is the best scanner I have ever used, period. Of course I've never used a real drum scanner, but I have tried the Imacons, Nikons, Epsons and Polaroids.
I got it because I shoot a lot of medium format film. If you shoot only 35mm then get the Minolta 5400 instead if you want the best scanner you can get for less then $20,000. The 5400 costs less ($640), is a little newer and has a little more resolution than my Multi PRO.
I bought this $3,000 Minolta personally and I prefer it to even the $10,000 Imacons I have tried.
Ken Rockwell http://www.kenrockwell.com/minolta/mp.htm

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<


Conclusion

Minolta has created a scanner that delivers very high resolution scans and of apparently professional quality. The price of this device is low enough for enthusiastic amateurs to buy it. It's lighter and smaller than the obvious competitors (Nikon 8000ED, Polaroid 120), and — at least in Europe — a bit cheaper as well. Some even claims that the scans are better than the competitors (some even think the scans are better than Imacon, but I doubt it), but there are also some that says it's a bit inferior to the others. Bottom line is that all of the scanners in this league are probably good, and this scanner is definitely a revolution for enthusiastic amateur medium-format photographers.*

Peter Wolff at http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/cameras/dimage.shtml
 
Last edited:
Top