Konica Minolta DiMAGE Scan Elite 5400 II Film Scanner
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Konica Minolta DiMAGE Scan Elite 5400 II film scanner is announced today, the successor to the popular Scan Elite 5400 model. The DiMAGE Scan Elite 5400 II has a new Film Expert Algorithm which faithfully reproduces colours in images with different exposure characteristics and a Quick Scan System to enable scanning at a rate of 25 seconds per frame. The Konica Minolta DiMAGE Scan Elite 5400 II film scanner has a provisional price of £599.99 and will be available in February.
Konica Minolta UK Press Release
Konica Minolta introduces the DiMAGE Scan Elite 5400 II film scanner for photography enthusiasts and professionals. As the successor model to the award winning DiMAGE Scan Elite 5400 which has been exceptionally popular thanks to its powerful 5400 dpi resolution, the DiMAGE Scan Elite 5400 II further improves colour reproduction with a new algorithm and delivers high speed scanning at a rate of 25 seconds* per frame. The DiMAGE Scan Elite 5400 II combines all of the technologies that Konica Minolta has come to know as a manufacturer of film, cameras, scanners and photofinishing equipment.
The DiMAGE Scan Elite 5400 II not only offers 42.2 Megapixel resolution by adopting a high performance 5400 dpi 3-line colour CCD, it improves colour reproduction of negative film with a new Film Expert Algorithm developed from photofinishing technology. Without the need of manual adjustment, it can faithfully reproduce colours in images with different exposure characteristics and colour balances from various types of negative film. The DiMAGE Scan Elite 5400 II delivers the quality demanded of photo enthusiasts and professionals.
With a 16-bit A/D conversion and a wide dynamic range of 4.8, the DiMAGE Scan Elite 5400 II faithfully reproduces the rich variations in tone from the lightest to darkest areas of the original film image. Moreover, Multi-sample Scanning improves the scan data by reducing random noise.
The DiMAGE Scan Elite 5400 II incorporates a Quick Scan System that greatly increases work efficiency over earlier models. Owing to an improved drive mechanism, optimised internal processing and proprietary optics, the time required for setup, scanning and auto-focusing has been greatly reduced. These improvements increase the speed of earlier models two-fold to enable scanning at a rate of 25 seconds* per frame. The DiMAGE Scan Elite 5400 II features an Auto Loading Index that automatically activates index scanning the moment a film holder has been loaded. It also offers High Speed Preview that allows users to instantly display enlarged preview images without preview scanning. These features further shorten the total workflow by speeding up image selection and comparison.
The DiMAGE Scan Elite 5400 II enables users to easily and accurately correct images, and thereby greatly improve workflow efficiency, by incorporating the renowned, Digital ICE4 technology, which offers detailed correction support, as well as the Konica Minolta feature, Pixel Polish, which allows users to correct images according to characteristics of the scene.
- Digital ICE
Digital ICE automatically detects and corrects dust, scratches, fingerprints, mildew and other blemishes found on the film surfaces. With quick and accurate processing, it reproduces the quality at the time the picture was taken.
- Digital ROC
Digital ROC uses advanced dye signature analysis to identify and restore faded colours on older film and slide images.
- Digital GEM
Digital GEM analyses film emulsion patterns and reduces graininess while preserving image quality, colour and sharpness.
- Digital SHO
Digital SHO optimises contrast and exposure to reveal additional image detail in areas of deep shadows or extreme highlights.
- Pixel Polish
Pixel Polish optimises brightness and colour to suit the scene, colour and contrast of each image. It corrects image characteristics such as people, nightscapes, trees and skies.
The DiMAGE Scan Elite 5400 II is provided with three types of software applications in order support a wide range of users abilities and requirements. Users can select a driver according to objective and purpose. The Easy Scan Utility is an easy 3-step on-screen-instructed procedure that beginners can use with ease. The Batch Scan Utility makes the scanning workflow more efficient by enabling continuous scanning at a user-set resolution, exposure and with pre-determined corrections applied. The standard DiMAGE Scan Utility is ideal for achieving the best scan as it gives the user the option to set and correct all image parameters and adjustments in detail for every individual image.
The DiMAGE Scan Elite 5400 II has a Quick Scan button and Manual Focus dial on the front panel to make scanning even easier and quicker. Simply pressing the Quick Scan button starts up the DiMAGE Scan Launcher where the user can easily select the driver applications for the job at hand. In addition, workflow is shortened when settings have been changed because users need only to press a button to continuously scan six frames. The Manual Focus dial allows users to focus on the image, as they require.
DiMAGE Scan Elite 5400 II Major Features
- Delivers 42.2 Megapixels thanks to a high performance 5400 dpi 3-line colour CCD.
- Film Expert Algorithm for improving colour reproduction of negative film
- Quick Scan System for a faster workflow
- High speed scanning at 25 seconds* per frame even at 5400 dpi resolution
- Auto Loading Index that automatically starts index scanning when a film holder is loaded
- High Speed Preview to instantly display enlarged preview images
- High speed Autofocus
- 16-bit A/D conversion (calculated Dynamic Range of 4.8)
- Multi-sample scanning for reducing random noise
- Digital ICE4 to greatly increase work efficiency
- Digital ICE for Dust & Scratch Removal
- Digital ROC for Colour Restoration
- Digital GEM for Film Grain Management
- Digital SHO for Shadow & Highlight Optimisation
- Pixel Polish for various automatic image corrections
- Quick Scan button that continuously scans 6 frames from a single press
- Manual Focus dial for adjusting focus as desired
- 3 driver software applications to choose from
- Easy Scan Utility for easy 3-step scanning
- Batch Scan Utility for large volume scanning with less work
- DiMAGE Scan Utility for detailed image correction
- Master Setup that allows users to save and load all settings such as image correction, Digital ICE4 and others
- Edge-to-edge full frame scanning thanks to a new film holder that enables a 100% field of view.
- Hi-speed USB 2.0 interface
*Based on Konica Minolta’s standard test method under Windows environments.
Scan time under Macintosh environments is approximately 30 seconds per frame.
#1 Mark Rosoff
Seems that they have dropped Firewire support.
Hope they fixed the cheesy latches on the carriers. Hope it is under $900 retail.
7:07 pm - Wednesday, February 23, 2005
#2 MrCoyote
I have the original version of this scanner, and it's been great. Never had any problems with the latches or the carriers. Why? Because I am careful with electronics. Before I close the carrier, I open the latches first, then press down on the carrier to close it, then release the latches. That way, the latches will NEVER wear out.
I may upgrade if the Digital ROC actually works as advertised and restores color to faded images. If not, no reason for me to upgrade as the previous model is awesome at detail, sharpness, and excellent at scanning in negatives too.
10:45 pm - Wednesday, February 23, 2005
#3 Rob Brown
I also have the original version - a great scanner that I only bought a few months ago. I feared a new model would come out, but thought that it wouldn't be the case with Minolta's entry into the digital SLR market. Nice to see a major manufacturer is still thinking about the huge film audience.
By the way, if you're interested in the new features of this scanner (ROC etc), then I'd not bother and buy Silverfast Ai instead. http://www.silverfast.com They .make a version for the 5400, which is at least 3 times as good as the Minolta software. Often the scanning software bundled with the scanner is rushed out. Silverfast is so simple to use - you can get amazing scans using their very simple tools. Supports ICE and also has its own 'SRD' (smart removal of defects) which is great for when you want to scan Kodachrome or real B+W negs that ICE does not like. Also has its own version of ROC (ACR) which uses a very simple and effective system for restoring faded colour or boosting/reducing when you want to make your normal film look saturated. You can also get rid of colour casts (like tungsten) by using a 'midpip' spotter tool and clicking on up to four points in the image to 'daylight balance' your image. Comes bundled with an IT8 calibration slide so that you can actually calibrate your scanner to a standard. The difference is notable. I used to spend all my time scanning in the Minolta software and then retouching in Photoshop to get the look I wanted. Now I do everything in Silverfast and can batch scan at 48bit and export as 24bit - I just open Photoshop to resize images! Worth a look and the money (free demo available)!
Looks like they've got a new shell, improved scan time and tweaked the software. If you haven't got a 5400, buy the new version, but with Silverfast I see no need to upgrade the hardware.
12:28 pm - Thursday, March 3, 2005
#4 Joe
To mark,mr coyote and Rob.
I am just getting into digital photography. I am about to buy this scanner.
Two questions
1. If I want to make a CD with low resolution scans do I need another program?
2. What software will place a watermark on your photos and can that mark be removed by another software program? Should I also get photoshop elements 3.0?
4:25 pm - Saturday, March 5, 2005
#5 Mark
(Posted on behalf of Mark Rosoff)
All scanners can scan at lower resolutions than their maximum. This is
a choice within the software that comes with the scanner. Elements 3.0
may be shipped with the 5400II. I won't know for sure until I get at
the store. It is much easier to learn the Elements 2 or full Photoshop
7 or CS. I'll get back to you on watermarking. Oh, $599 for the
scanner when it comes in.
10:02 am - Tuesday, March 8, 2005
#6 James Adams
It appears that they have replaced the fluorescent lamp with an LED light source in the new version. Does anyone know why, or what effect that might have?
4:29 am - Saturday, March 26, 2005
#7 Rob Brown
James, I think an LED light source is more 'neutral' and is probably cooler (in operating temperature) than the old model. The benefit of this is probably that your film is less likely to buckle or be damaged by heat when scanning. A worthwhile change. I know that Nikon use LED lightsources in their scanners and they seem to quote the above as the advantages of LED's. Also, as LED's use less power it may help to reduce noise, but you probably couldn't tell the difference.
6:17 pm - Sunday, March 27, 2005
#8 John Wilkinson
I want the best scanner posible for my Kodachrome slides. Would this be the best bet and how effective id the Kodal ice4 on kodachrome
7:22 pm - Monday, April 4, 2005
#9 Rob Brown
John, read these web sites for more detailed information about Kodachrome:
http://www.photo-i.co.uk/Reviews/interactive/Scanners/Minolta/page_3.htm
Nikon Coolscan vs Minolta 5400 Mk1:
http://www.photozone.de/2Equipment/reviews/elitecoolscan.htm
-Summary: LED lightsource in Nikon thought to screw up kodachrome scanning. MK1 5400 doesn't have LED source; MK2 5400 does. So in this respect the 5400 MK1 may be a better bet than the MK2 for Kodachromes and certainly would be better than the Nikon given this review.
http://www.photographic.com/digitalperipherals/1103minolta/index1.html
-ICE cannot be used with Kodachrome or BW it seems. Never tried myself - I like Fuji Astia 100F personally for the best tranny scans (loads of tonal range and the finest grain of any film). Though if you've got lots of Kodachrome to scan (is it really Kodachrome, or just Kodak E6 film such as Elite G/GX/VS as that should work with ICE ok?), then that isn't going to help much, so my top tip is:
- get Silverfast AI with its SRD (Smart Removal of Defects) option that is a software based and customisable method for removing defects with the original 5400 from Amazon.co.uk (cheapest I found), or wait for Silverfast to support the new scanner (though given one of the reviews above LED's don't appear to work great with Kodachrome). Download a free demo of Silverfast for your existing scanner to give SRD a go! I've used it with BW film instead of ICE - it works great though is more of a chore than ICE.
Maybe the new 5400 works OK with Kodachrome? I've never used it so couldn't honestly say but in summary of the above (both taken from other's reviews):
-it appears ICE and Kodachrome don't get on well
-LED light sources and Kodachrome also don't appear to have a happy relationship.
12:42 am - Tuesday, April 5, 2005
#10 Gordon Skorstad
I have been using this scanner (Konica Minolta 5400 II) on old Kodachrome slides, with Digital ICE turned on. So far, after about a dozen Kodachrome scans (at 5400 dpi), I have seen no problems using ICE with Kodachrome. I.e., no artifacts or unusal features. Results are excellent, although I find that GEM (for grain reduction) does slow down scans considerably.
10:42 pm - Thursday, July 7, 2005
#11 M H
I have the original Minolta 5400. I've been scanning old Kodachrome slides from the 1950's. I have no problems scanning them with Digital ICE turned on. I see no difference with it turned off (except for dust appearing)!
So the original 5400 does work with Kodachrome. At least my scanner does.
4:59 am - Sunday, July 31, 2005
#12 Lans Brahmantyo
Nice scans, but software is very problematic. Now it wouldnt launch at all (Unknown Error... It keeps telling me another Minolta app is open already) on my Mac. Tried on two different Macs, worked fine first then after keeping the app open for a nite, it crashed and I can never open it again. Reinstalling does not help.
I wonder how much better is Silverfast or VueScan compared to the manufacturer's software. Anyone with this experience, please advice.
Thanks so much.
Brahm
12:07 am - Friday, September 23, 2005
#13 garrie maguire
lans, i can relate... you have to do a search and get rid of all the 5400 folders (3 at last count) if you find any other things related trash them too then reinstall. i'm reinstalling almost daily. the computer sleeping causes the problem. i wish they'd fix it!
g
1:16 am - Wednesday, October 19, 2005
#14 DM
I have struggled with the Dimage Scan elite 5400 for hours and find it to be very tempremental - eventually I have found this to have helped but not solved the problem.
-After uninstalling and reinstalling the software - after changing the USB2 cord - and altering the usb point that they are put into -
then create a new user profile, give it admin priviledges and then it should launch. good luck.
DM
12:24 pm - Wednesday, October 19, 2005
#15 Lans Brahmantyo
This scanner is proven to be erratic and moody. Software is definitely bug-ridden... even a computer going to Sleep Mode will make it unusable.
Then I also experienced it grinding very loudly and then idling... unable to even eject the cartridge anymore. Not via software, not via the Eject button. The blue light flashing continuously.
I guess I'm gonna have to pry it open to take out my film in there. :-( Definitely too much hassles and problems despite a reasonable scan quality. KonicaMinolta's customer support is proven lousy as well.
7:59 am - Tuesday, November 22, 2005
#16 BR
This product is unworkable in the Windows environment. Maybe all the satisfied users have Macs. I have a brand new HP 1250n running Windows XP with all current patches. The scanner software announces it is not Windows XP certified, which should be a clue of bad things waiting to happen. And bad things indeed happen. The software is extremely unstable. The only way to get control of the scanner back after a software failure is by power cycling the computer and scanner. This wouldn't be so bad if it was an occasional thing, but the record so far is two images before a creash or an error. Clearly unacceptable for such an expensive piece of gear. Run away from this as fast as you can, no matter how good the specs are.
7:04 pm - Saturday, January 7, 2006
#17 BC
I've been using the 5400ii since about four months, have scanned over 1,000 frames with it. On occasions I would start it up but the software wouldn't recognise the scanner. After a restart of both my PC (I'm on XP) and the scanner the problem was solved. This was never consistent, it happened maybe 1 out of 4 times with no obvious reason.
One thing that bugs me... A friend bought an Epson (4990 I believe) that came with Silverfast SE included. Also included was a voucher that allowed an upgrade to Ai for 50 Euros. With this Minolta Silverfast would cost me 270 or so Euros - about half the scanner's price...
9:37 pm - Sunday, January 22, 2006
#18 john P
Just noticed that people were getting the "unknown error confirm other scan software is closed" message, and I too recieved this message. Rebooting my Mac at several times, disconnecting the scanner, turning it on or off, none of the usual work arounds found the problem. I tried to just kill any app that might be running using the activity monitor utility, but there didn't seem to be one running. Anyway, so the only thing left to do was to uninstal the software and search the computer for any elite5400 files (one in the library, one in my user preferences), delete it all, and do a clean install.
It worked. The scanner is no longer giving the message. Hope this helps.
12:42 am - Friday, March 31, 2006
#19 Eric F
The easier solution for getting the software to run again after the "unknown error confirm other scan software is closed" message is to search for and delete these two temporary files:
MFSLibInit
MFSButtonCheck
(note these may have extensions too on a PC)
10:58 pm - Thursday, September 14, 2006
#20 Jason G
So, a question for anyone who cares to venture an answer: The 5400-II has some pretty good reviews and sounds like a good scanner. So why is it discontinued for many online dealers (e.g., Amazon.com, B&H, Adorama)? Is there a major defect, recall, upgrade, whatever available that I'm not seeing?
6:25 pm - Saturday, November 4, 2006
#21 Noel Adams
I'd like to second the last posting from Jason G. above. I did a lot of web research and asking about and the Minolta scanner consistently came up as one of the best possibilities on the market but I can't find it for sale anywhere on the web. Is this related to Minolta pulling out of the digital camera market? Have they discontinued their scanners as well? Any assistance appreciated.
3:50 pm - Thursday, January 25, 2007
#22 tullio Fortuna
While I work with Dimage scan Elite 5400 the program closed unaspectatily and appear a message that I have another dimage software open and suggest to close it. So I must install agai the software. How I can resolve this problem?!?
2:06 pm - Sunday, February 4, 2007
#23 Jim McHugh
I have had this piece of tin for more than two years and have had nothing but problems with it and the software. Sending it back under warranty to KonicaMinolta was a waste of time as it was returned in the same state I sent it (supposedly repaired). I then paid for another repair (as it was now out of warranty) and I still can't get it to work. I am not surprised that KonicaMinolta have moved out of the photography business.
5:30 pm - Saturday, April 7, 2007
#24 Odile Brault
I am desperately looking for the driver of
Konica Elite 5400 II for Macintosh 10.4 ?
Any help please???
Thank your
1:47 pm - Wednesday, June 6, 2007
#25 gerard hannigan
http://tinyurl.com/2vmcv7
try the above link, its under the http://www.konicaminoltasupport.com/
address. easy to follow. cheers
10:53 pm - Thursday, June 7, 2007
#26 chris
Whear can I find aKonica Minolta DiMAGE Scan Elite 5400 II Film Scanner
thanks for your help
8:13 pm - Wednesday, October 31, 2007
#27 Anthony Catalano
If you do purchase a Minolta DiMAGE Scan Elite 5400 II Film Scanner, when you open the box just smash it with a sledge hammer so you can quickly realize that you purchase a flimsy throw-away. In a few months you will be weighing the cost of repair vs purchasing some other brand. Mine likely mistracked, and there is no way to tell how to physically reset it. The door is trying to open/close out of sequence with the program unable to do anything about it except offer vague error pop-ups. The price to reset/repair is 179 plus shipping from Sony certified shops which are now handling their products. Keep searching and you will find many people with very similar complaints. Yours will die as well within 5 to 15 months or sooner. It's worth about $25 bucks as a throw-away unit like a cheap umbrella. If you have a solution, let us all know. - Tony
10:04 am - Sunday, December 27, 2009
#28 Jay Overmoen
I have been scanning my B&W negatives as color negatives with the original Dimage 5400 elite model so I can use the 16 bit option and then converting them in photoshop to gray scale mode in hopes that photoshop will keep the best of the greater number of pixels. Is my logic flawed? If anyone has used this technique for greater overall quality B&W scans please let me know. Thanks!
7:23 am - Saturday, May 22, 2010
#29 Terence
I get the infamous "unknown error confirm other scan software is closed" message the first time I have ever run the software after installing it for the first time.
It has never ever successfully launched.
I could not find the files mentioned by Eric F in comment #19.
I am running OS X 10.5.8
3:45 pm - Wednesday, July 28, 2010
#30 Terence
okay I found the file and removed it with the following command in the Terminal application.
rm ~/Library/Preferences/DiMAGE\ Scan/MFSLibInit
The software seems to be working now.
If this happens regularly, I will write a shell script which removes these files before running the DiMAGE Scan Launcher app. Than I start the Launcher using the shell script. Ugly but effective.
This forum has been very helpful.
4:17 pm - Wednesday, July 28, 2010
#31 Tom
I am running OS X 10.5.8, when i load the Dimage Scan software i get an error: Could not confirm scanner connection. Please check scanner connection.
Are there any drivers i need to install?
The scanner works using VueScan but i really want to use the image software
Any ideas?
Tom
2:51 pm - Monday, November 1, 2010