MINOLTA DiMAGE Scan Multi PRO

Review and examples of the Minolta film scanner, Dimage Scan Multi Pro.

Gallery
Review
Specification and Operation
Reference links
Update history
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Gallery

The photo was taken with HEXAR-RF +Voigtlander NOKTON 35mm F1.2 +KODAK Kodachrme64 and scanned with Scan Multi Pro.

Review

DiMAGE SCAN Multi PRO was purchased used at the end of 2023.
Multi-series is unique in that it can scan not only 35mm film but also large format film.
Unlike the DiMAGE Scan Elite 5400 series, the film side is on top, so you have to be careful not to let dust fall off while scanning. Compared to DiMAGE Scan Dual III, it is equipped with ICE3, so dust is removed on the scanner side, but it is still safer to blow it out with a blower before scanning.
I tried scanning negative film and slide film, and I feel that 4800dpi is superior to NIKON’s 4000dpi in terms of detail and three-dimensional effect when scanning slides.

As of 2023, the price of reversal film has risen considerably and it is not easy to use it, so I am planning to revive the old film I have taken with this scanner.
Regarding negative scanning, I feel that there is not much difference between Nikon and Minolta.

Four 35mm films inserted into the slide frame can be captured in one operation. A 600dpi preview takes about 80 seconds and a 4800dpi capture takes about 180 seconds, so one image can be processed in about 4 minutes, but shooting 36 images takes 16 minutes*9, which is 144 minutes, so it takes some time.
When this scanner was sold, the recommended PC specs were Pentuim III 450MHz, so it seems like modern PCs would be able to process faster. Unfortunately, however, it was limited by the specifications of the scanner itself, and the processing time was not much different from the official processing time at the time. Since the correction functions such as ICE are fully turned on, the processing time for those processes may be faster than before.

Since it moves a huge carrier, it is noisy. There is a high-pitched high-frequency sound and a sound like a machine gun. If you’re just scanning 35mm film, I think NIKON’s LS-40, LS-50, LS-4000, and LS-5000 series are quieter and faster.
When processing film mounted in a slide frame, Nikon scanners are limited to two models, the LS-4000 and LS-5000, and can scan 50 sheets in a row when using the optional SF-210. However, if you do not have the SF-210, or if you are using a lower-end model of the LS-40 or LS-50, it is a hassle to scan each film inserted into the slide frame one by one.
Slip film does not need to be set in a carrier, making Nikon scanners easy to use.

Specification and Operation

DiMAGE Scan Multi Pro is a 2001 product that supports IEEE1394 (FireWire) and Ultra-SCSI connections.
Both are old-style interfaces, so care must be taken when connecting to both Windows and Mac.

Confirm the Operation

The table below lists the environments in which operation has been confirmed.

PC name	OS	CPU	Software	接続	動作
Mac Mini 2023	macOS 14 Sonoma	M2 Pro	VueScan	Thunderbolt3＞Thunderbolt2＞FireWire	▲
MacbookPro 2017	macOS 13 Ventura	Core i7	VueScan	Thunderbolt3＞Thunderbolt2＞FireWire	△
MacbookPro 2017	BootCamp+Windows10	Core i7	VueScan	Thunderbolt3＞Thunderbolt2＞FireWire	○
MacBookAir 2015	macOS 12 Montery	Core i7	VueScan	Thunderbolt2＞FireWire	△

▲:quite unstable
△:A little bit unstable
○:stable

The table above shows the results of testing on the Mac that I mainly use.
The operation results for mac are explained below, and the cases of using it with Windows and Ultra-SCSI are described below.

Mac FireWire

When connecting IEEE1394 (FireWire) to a Mac that only has a USC-C terminal, you can connect the Mac and scanner via the conversion adapter below. Apple is a proponent of FireWire, so even though the terminal shape has changed, they provide conversion adapters so that they can make use of past assets.

Thunderbolt2-FireWire adapter (MD464ZMA), regular price around 4000 yen
Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 adapter (MMEL2AM/A), list price around 7,000 yen

Regarding operation on Macs equipped with Apple Silicon such as M1 and M2, when I connected Thunderbolt 3 > Thunderbolt 2 > FireWire and used VueScan, my impression was that it was quite unstable. I’m using a Mac mini equipped with M2 Pro, and VueScan recognizes the scanner, but when I was scanning, the connection between VueScan and the scanner was interrupted and I was unable to continue scanning. My impression is that the operation with M2 is unstable.
It seems necessary to update VueSan or update the IEEE1394 driver, but since IEEE1394 itself is a forgotten standard, it may be difficult to update both.

Macs equipped with Intel CPUs can scan both Thunderbolt3 > Thunderbolt2 > FireWire +VueScan and Thunderbolt2 > FireWire +VueScan almost stably, but it seems to be more unstable than BootCamp + Windows 10.

Currently, the recommended pattern for operating on a Mac is to install Windows 10 with BootCamp and use VueScan. Thunderbolt3>Thunderbolt2>FireWire +VueScan Scanning is possible without any problems. I mainly use this as the scanning environment for DIMAGE Scan Multi Pro.

Windows IEEE1394

I haven’t been using a Windows PC lately, so I haven’t been able to confirm its operation, but as far as I can see how it works with BootCamp, there seem to be few problems with scanning with Windows 10 and VueScan.

If you have an older notebook PC with an IEEE1394 terminal, you can use it by directly connecting it to a scanner using only a cable.

Desktop PCs basically require an IEEE1394 expansion card, and Windows 10 comes with an IEEE1394 driver as standard, so if you can connect it, you should be able to use it. Since the genuine software for scanning is compatible with old OS, you will need to update it provided by volunteers or use third-party software such as VueScan.

I see motherboards with Thunderbolt3 terminals, but I don’t know if a conversion cable to IEEE1394 is provided, or if it can be connected with a Mac conversion cable.

Ultra SCSI

If you use SCSI, you will need a SCSI board and a SCSI driver compatible with your OS. It’s fine if the SCSI board recognizes it with a standard SCSI driver, but if it doesn’t, you won’t be able to use it unless the OS provides a SCSI driver.

Also, when using a general-purpose SCSI-USB conversion adapter, the conversion adapter must be operated in SCSI emulation mode (standard drivers provided by general OSs often operate in USB disk mode). If the manufacturer of the USB conversion adapter does not provide a SCSI driver that supports SCSI emulation mode for the OS you are using, it will be difficult to use the scanner.
Many of the older Canon, Minolta, and Nikon film scanners are SCSI-connected, so if you plan to run them on a modern OS, we think it’s essential to verify their operation.

Scanning Software

The genuine scanner driver is compatible with Windows up to Windows XP-32bit and Mac with Mac-OS X 10.4Tiger.
VueScan continues to be supported as of 2024.
- VueScan is a well-established scanning software that supports various scanners and film color simulation.
- VueScan is compatible with Mac, Windows, and Linux, and the interface is the same for each OS and the serial number can be used in common.
- There are two ways to purchase: subscription and permanent upgrades, and since I paid for the permanent upgrade in the first half of 2000, the upgrades have continued as of 2024, and I’m grateful that I can continue to use it without any additional costs.
The supported version of SilverFast is 6.6, which supports mac-OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard and Windows up to Windows XP-32bit.

Compare of Film scanner spec

The light source of the older models in the table below is unknown, but models made before 2000 are likely to have used 3-wavelength fluorescent lamps (hot cathode tubes), and models made after 2000 have used 3-wavelength fluorescent lamps (cold cathode tubes). The Elite 5400 II uses white LEDs. The 5400 is described on murauchi.com as a 3-wavelength fluorescent lamp (cold cathode tube), but there is extremely little information on the 5400 (AF-5400), and it is difficult to confirm accurate information.The parts, including the appearance, appear to be almost the same as the 5400. It may be the same white LED as II.

Series name	DiMAGE Scan Dual	DiMAGE Scan Elite	DiMAGE Scan Multi
Model name	Dual Dual II(AF-2820U) Dual III(AF-2840) Dual IV(AF-3200)	Elite Elite II(AF-2920) Elite 5400(AF-5400) Elite 5400II(AF-5400-2)	Multi(F-3000) Multi II(F-3100) Multi PRO(AF-5000)
Resolution (dpi)	2820(Dual,Dual II,Dual III) 3200(Dual IV)	2820(Elite,Elite II) 5400(Elite 5400,Elite 5400II)	2820(Multi,Multi II) 4800(Multi PRO)
Image Sensor	RGB 3line CCD	←	←
light source	Unknown(Dual) Three-wavelength fluorescent lamp (cold cathode) (Dual II, III, IV)	Unknown(Elite) Three-wavelength fluorescent lamp (cold cathode) (Elite II,5400) White LED(5400II)	Three-wavelength fluorescent lamp (hot cathode) (Multi / Multi II) Three-wavelength fluorescent lamp (cold cathode) (Multi PRO)
Scanning method	Manuscript Fixation Optics moving flatbed scanning 1-pass scanning	←	←
A/D converter	12bit(Dual I,II) 16bit(Dual III.IV)	12bit(Elite) 16bit(Elite II) 16bit(Elite 5400) 16bit(Elite 5400 II)	Unknown(Multi II) 12bit(Multi II) 16bit(Multi PRO)
Output	16bit	←	←
Digital ICE	None	Unknown(Elite) ICE 3(Elite II) ICE 4(Elite 5400) ICE 4(Elite 5400 II)	Unknown(Multi) ROC(Multi II) ICE 3(Multi PRO)
Connect interface	SCSI(Dual I,II) USB 2(Dual III,IV)	Unknown(Elite) USB 1/IEEE1394(II) USB 2/IEEE1394(5400,5400 II)	Unknown(Multi) SCSI(Multi II) SCSI/IEEE1394(Multi PRO)
Auto feeder	6	←	←
Slide scan	Exist	←	←
Large format	None	←	あり
Power supply	AC adapter	←	Build in
Weight(kg)	1.5(for All products)	Unknown(Elite) 1.5(Elite II) 2.5(Elite 5400) 1.5(Elite 5400 II)	Unknown(Multi) Unknown(Multi II) 4(Multi PRO)
Options	35mm film FH-U1 Slide SH-U1	Elite /II 　35mm film FH-U1 　Slide SH-U1 Elite 5400/5400II 　35mm film FH-M20 　Slide SH-M20	35mm film SH-M2 Slide FH-M1 Broni MH-M1
Price(Yen/No-tax)	Unknown(Dual) 6.48万円(Dual II) 4.48万円(Dual III) 3.5万円(Dual IV)	Unknown(Elite) 9.8万円(Elite II) 10.5万円(Elite 5400) 7万円(Elite 5400 II)	29.8万円(Multi) 31.8万円(Multi II) 35.8万円(Multi PRO)
Release date	1997(Dual) 2000(Dual II) 2002(Dual III) 2004(Dual IV)	1999(Elite) 2001(Elite II) 2003(Elite 5400) 2005(Elite 5400 II)	1998(Multi) 2000(Multi II) 2001(Multi PRO)

Digital ICE4 ™ and Digital ICE ™ are trademarks and technologies of EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY, USA.

Update history

2024.05.20:Update the article
2023.01.02:First draft

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