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Go digital without compromising quality
You have zillions of slides and 35mm negs. You know a flatbed scanner isn’t the answer for digitizing them because so much quality is lost in the translation. But a film scanner? Isn’t a top-rated unit $1,000-plus?
Not anymore. Minolta’s new DiMAGE Scan Elite 5400 gives you fast, accurate 5400-ppi scans for $830 (street). Yes, that’s still a lot of money, but this unit rocked our lab’s resolution test, turning in 71.3 line pairs per mm on color film. On Kodak T-Max b&w film, it scored 83.9 line pairs per mm. That’s the highest resolution of any film scanner we’ve tested under $5,000.
It also aced our color accuracy test, scoring an average Delta E of just 7.54. Not quite the 6.65 of Minolta’s DiMAGE Scan Multi Pro (tested June 2002), but close—and the Elite 5400 costs about a grand less.
Setup on a Pentium III PC running Windows XP was simple; drivers are available for Windows 98 and newer and Mac OS 8.6 and higher. After downloading an updated version of Minolta’s DiMAGE Scan software from the company’s web site, we connected the scanner to the computer through the Hi-Speed USB 2.0 port, but the included FireWire connection is also an option.
A simple click on the DiMage Scan icon brings up a choice between DiMAGE Scan, Easy Scan, or Batch Scan utilities. Easy Scan guides beginners through the process. Batch Scan lets you make global settings and scan an entire film or slide holder in one shot. The Elite 5400 is limited to its conventional four-slide or six-negative holder—there’s no optional auto feeder available.
For more serious scanning control, go to the DiMAGE Scan utility, where you can multisample an image (up to 16X) to reduce noise and improve shadow detail and choose between 8 or 16 bits per color (up to 48-bit total). 16-bit scans feature better color accuracy and more potential color combinations. For color-managed workflows, this utility lets you choose among nine preset color spaces, including sRGB, Apple RGB, and Adobe RGB 1998.
Color correction options include the variation palette, curve adjustments for brightness and contrast in each RGB color channel, and histograms for each color channel. Before and after comparison windows let you see what you’ve done.
Autofocus, point AF, and manual focus (with a dial on the front of the scanner) let you keep things clear.
Although a full-res, 16-bit scan creates a 233MB file, the 5400 is fast. It finished up in just under three minutes. At 8X multisampling, the time jumped to 8 min 25 sec. With Digital ICE turned on and multisampling off, a 5400-ppi scan took only 8 min 30 sec and eliminated most dust and other minor blemishes.
Gripes? The plastic 35mm film holder is flimsy. (But then, so are most in this class.) We’d sure like an auto slide feeder option. And the Elite 5400 doesn’t do APS film. But do you really care?
What's Hot
Best-in-class resolution. Great shadow detail. Fast scanning. Accurate color.
What's Not
Flimsy plastic film holder. No optional automatic slide feeder. Doesn’t do APS.
Certified Test Results: Minolta DiMAGE Scan Elite 5400
Test Results: Resolution: Excellent (71.3 lp/mm). Color Accuracy: Excellent (Avg. Delta E: 7.54). Highlight/shadow: Very high. Contrast: Normal. Image quality: Excellent. Speed: Very fast (35mm slide at 16 bits, 5400 ppi: 2 min 55 sec)
Vital statistics: 5400 ppi, 16 bits per color, 4.2 dynamic range, cold-cathode fluorescent tube light source, point AF, manual focus, FireWire (IEEE1394) and Hi-Speed USB 2.0 connections, 2.6x6.5x14 in., 5.5 lb
Street price: $830
In the box: Scanner stand, slide-mount holder, 35mm film holder, USB and FireWire cables, AC adapter, Reset tool, software (DiMAGE Scan utility and Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0)
For info: www.konicaminolta.com; 201-574-4000
Download our Minolta DiMAGE Scan Elite 5400 Test Results
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