According to Minolta the Dimage Scan Multi PRO AF-5000 Slide & Film Scanner has a true optical resolution of 4800 dpi with 35mm film. It can also scan 35mm panorama shots in that resolution. For medium format film, the scanner lens 'zooms' out, the lens uses a two-step zoom dropping off to only 3200 pixels per inch. Theoretically the Minolta PRO two-step zoom lens should be great for use as a macro lens. The Minolta DiMAGE Scan Elite 5400 (and the Scan Elite 5400 II) scanner lenses are unbelievably good, check out the results here at 2x: https://www.closeuphotography.com/2x-lens-test
Minolta DiMAGE Scan Multi PRO lens views
Using scanner lenses for macro photography is not very well known. There is no information online the Minolta PRO lens for example, so to find out more you have to buy a scanner on the used market. So this is what I did, I found a used Minolta Multi PRO scanner for a fair price from a seller that accepts returns.
With the top cover off my first impressions were not good, most fasteners seemed to have been removed and reinstalled, and there were fingerprints all over the inside of the scanner obvious signs the scanner had been taken apart by someone other than a factory tech.
When I pulled the side cover off the scanner I could see the small springs poking out from the sides of the lens. That was not something I expected to see. The pins on the side of the lens controls the position of a lens group. When I manually slide the lens stage the lever moves at each end of the range.
The lens
Once the cover was off the scanner I could see the first sign something was wrong. Although the lens retainer clip screws did have a dab of glue on them, they were not the normal red colored thread-locker compound you see inside Minolta scanners. Once I pulled the lens I found that all of the retainer rings on both ends had markings that showed the lens had been disassembled. This is not the condition you want to see a scanner lens in. Scanner lenses are very high performance optics that have to be calibrated individually at the factory. While you can take these lenses apart and re-assemble them, the performance of the lens will be no-where near the level when it was new.
The problem with the lens
I tested the lens on an APS-C sensor body at 1.1x and 2.1x in 4 different configurations and the results all were poor and way below what they should have been. The lens was definitely out of specs. For this reason I decided to pull the plug on the project and return the scanner to the seller for a refund.
Minolta DiMAGE Multi Scan II lens on the left, Minolta DiMAGE Elite 5400 lens, and the Minolta DiMAGE Scan Multi PRO lens on the right.
Takeaways from this
When you buy a scanner or a scanner lens I would strongly recommend that you always buy from a seller that offers returns, unless the item is ultra cheap, less than $50,
After seeing how this lens is configured with the movable lens group I would not waste time or money on another Multi PRO lens since the Minolta Dimage Elite 5400 lens has proven to be a fantastic performer.
If you are thinking about trying out one of these lenses for macro photography I would recommend the Minolta 5400 lens instead. These are an unbeatable combination of low cost and high-end performance. For a detailed review of the 5400 lenses follow on this link: https://www.closeuphotography.com/minolta-dimage-scan-elite-5400-lens/
If you do decide to try a Multi PRO scanner lens out, let me know how the project turns out.
For more info on the Minolta Dimage Scan Multi PRO:
https://www.imaging-resource.com/SCAN/DSMP/DSMA.HTM
http://www.filmscanner.info/MinoltaDimageScanMultiPro.html
The Minolta Dimage Scan Multi PRO manual:
http://www.konicaminoltasupport.com/fileadmin/scanner_minolta/manuals/hardware/oh2887e_old.pdf
Other Minolta Scanner Models
Minolta made three medium format scanners.
Minolta Dimage Scan Multi PRO Model F 5000 - 3200 x 4800 dpi optical resolution
Minolta Dimage Scan Multi II Model F 3100 - 1128 x 2820 dpi optical resolution
Minolta Dimage Scan Multi Model F 3000 - 1128 x 2820 dpi optical resolution