New Velvia 100...

[another view]

Photo John posted a press release about new Velvia 100 in the News & Rumors forum.

I'm usually asking people not to double post here but it was the next line of the post that made me spit out my coffee:

"Successor to Velvia 50 Offers Higher Speed and Finer Grain"

I'm not totally anti-change, but when Velvia 100F came out a couple of years ago it was supposed to be (from everything I read) pretty similar to Velvia 50, just a stop faster. So I tried it, and it's nothing like Velvia 50. Not a bad film; just not Velvia, that's all.

Don't get me wrong - I'm looking forward to trying this new film but sorry to see that Velvia 50 will disappear at the end of this year.

[walterick]

IT HAD BETTER NOT!

I consume a steady diet of Velvia 50 and would abslutely got into a comatose state if I were deprived of it.

Velvia 100 is not anything like Velivia 50.

I'll use Provia before I use the "new" Velvia

Thanks for letting me know I need to go buy every roll of Velivia 50 in Virginia now.

Rick

[Photo-John]

It's called "Velvia 100 Professional" and evidently it's not the same as Velvia 100F, although I'm not actually sure what the differences are. But I have an appointment with Fuji at PMA and I'll find out what I can. I know that a lot of people weren't happy with the Velvia 100F. And I assume that Fuji knows it, too. So I would hope they've been paying attention and actually deliver something that's an improvement on the original Velvia.

[Speed]

Photo John posted a press release about new Velvia 100 in the News & Rumors forum.

I'm usually asking people not to double post here but it was the next line of the post that made me spit out my coffee:

"Successor to Velvia 50 Offers Higher Speed and Finer Grain"

I'm not totally anti-change, but when Velvia 100F came out a couple of years ago it was supposed to be (from everything I read) pretty similar to Velvia 50, just a stop faster. So I tried it, and it's nothing like Velvia 50. Not a bad film; just not Velvia, that's all.

Don't get me wrong - I'm looking forward to trying this new film but sorry to see that Velvia 50 will disappear at the end of this year.

I did not know that!

I'm with Rick, time to stock up!!!

[another view]

an improvement on the original Velvia.

Velvia is far from the perfect film - it really shines in only some circumstances. But it has a look to it that is unique, and any improvement to that will likely change the "look" of it. I'll be watching for it to hit the shelves and will look forward to trying it, but I'm concerned that it won't look the same. I suppose it's like an equation - change one thing and there will be consequences with other characteristics with the film. Velvia 100F is/was supposed to be a highly-saturated film that can handle Caucasian skin tones. I wouldn't use Velvia for that - there's Provia (usually with an 81A or B filter) which has good saturation to it. And there's Astia (which I've never tried) when skin tone is critical.

Sure it's a little grainier than some 100 speed films out there (notably Provia 100F) but that reason alone doesn't really warrant a change IMO. I suppose part of the root of my problem is that I can't get digital files to look exactly like Velvia slides on the light table. I'm getting better with it, but don't know how close I'll get. Nothing lasts forever, so I guess I better get to work... ;)

[Ryguyinlj]

I've actually been pleased with some of the results I've gotten from velvia 100.

[Photo-John]

I did not know that!

I'm with Rick, time to stock up!!!

Can't hurt to play it safe. But you never know. Maybe it will be great. Like I said before, I hope they've been paying attention to the opinions of photographers who've used Velvia 100F. If so, I'd say it's worth taking a chance on.

[mjs1973]

I have never shot Velvia 50, or any slide film for that matter, but I have been itching to give it a try. I'm going to place an order with B&H within the next couple of days for a few things and Velvia 50 is on my list. If I were to stock up on a few extra rolls of Velvia 50, how long could I expect it to last in my freezer? I don't know much about it, other than I love the "look" it produces and I really want to try it. Is it something that I would want to use up right away or will it keep for a while?

[another view]

how long could I expect it to last in my freezer?

The date on the carton (as long as you get it from a high-volume dealer like B&H) should be well into 2006. I have some Velvia and Provia 100 which is about a year past expiration and kept refrigerated - works just fine. You should get a few years as long as it's frozen - maybe more than a few. I hear that the higher the speed, the less time it lasts, and being 50 speed you've got that on your side.

This isn't an uncommon topic of conversation in the world of B&W. Film sales are declining, so some of the less-used emulsions are being discontinued. This isn't to say that film is going away - Fuji and Kodak have new films coming out from time to time. But some of the films that are going away (like Kodak Tech Pan) are different than other films out there, and Tri-X just isn't going to replace that look.

[Hightree]

I've worked with Velvia 50 in the past and I think it's an awesome film. Sad to see it leaving although the price kept me from using it more frequently. Nevertheless I will try to get my hands on a bunch of films before they're all gone. Must say that the sample pic from Gene looks pretty cool to me, so my hopes are still high.

Frank

[mjs1973]

This might be a stupid question, but here goes anyway. I'm going to order some Velvia 50 this weekend as my above post states. When I go to B&H, they have the film listed as RVP 35mm for a 100' roll, and RVP 135-36 for a 36 exp. roll. Is there a differance, other than the length of the film? I guess my question is, what does the RVP 135 mean?

[another view]

RVP is the code for Velvia regardless of whether it's 35mm, 4x5 or whatever. For some reason, 35mm cartridges always say 135 but I don't know what that means. Anyone?

Gene, thanks for posting this. It looks more like Velvia 50 to me than 100F did.

[mjs1973]

RVP is the code for Velvia regardless of whether it's 35mm, 4x5 or whatever. For some reason, 35mm cartridges always say 135 but I don't know what that means. Anyone?

Gene, thanks for posting this. It looks more like Velvia 50 to me than 100F did.

Thanks for the clarificaton AV. I just didn't want to end up ordering something and then end up finding out that I can't use it once I got it.

[92135011]

135....
maybe kinda like how i dont know what 120 and 220 mean

[Dzerzhinski46]

RVP is the code for Velvia regardless of whether it's 35mm, 4x5 or whatever. For some reason, 35mm cartridges always say 135 but I don't know what that means. Anyone?

I did a quick check on my calculator and I think I know. 135 is the length of the roll in cm. 1350mm divided by 35mm (length of film frame) is 38. This makes sense, because there are two extra frames on a roll usually. So 135 is the legnth of the roll in cm. Did that make sense?

Dzerzhinski

[mjs1973]

Sounds logical to me.

[f5fstop]

I did a quick check on my calculator and I think I know. 135 is the length of the roll in cm. 1350mm divided by 35mm (length of film frame) is 38. This makes sense, because there are two extra frames on a roll usually. So 135 is the legnth of the roll in cm. Did that make sense?

Dzerzhinski

Logical for 36 exposure roll, but not for 24 exposure roll.

The designation 135 come from the original product designation Kodak gave 35mm film, and this number was adopted by other manufacturers.
120 film is a medium format film with a 2 1/4 inch square image. 220 is the same image size, but with twice as many exposures than the 120 size.

[mdmc]

No need to panick, Fuji is going to release the new film befor they discontinue V-50, so that the pros who rely on it can test it. If Fuji has announced plans to discontinue V-50, I'm sure that the characteristics are indistiguishable. If not they won't discontinue V-50.
Mark.

[chandlerjr]

Photo John posted a press release about new Velvia 100 in the News & Rumors forum.

I'm usually asking people not to double post here but it was the next line of the post that made me spit out my coffee:

"Successor to Velvia 50 Offers Higher Speed and Finer Grain"

I'm not totally anti-change, but when Velvia 100F came out a couple of years ago it was supposed to be (from everything I read) pretty similar to Velvia 50, just a stop faster. So I tried it, and it's nothing like Velvia 50. Not a bad film; just not Velvia, that's all.

Don't get me wrong - I'm looking forward to trying this new film but sorry to see that Velvia 50 will disappear at the end of this year.

Luckily for me--I have a freezer full of Velvia 50. I love this film. I have a high resolution film scanner and it loves Velvia50. The scans I get from this film is unbelievable! I have 80 rolls left in the freezer. If I pace myself, should last a couple of years, since I don't use it exclusively.
Larry C.

[92135011]

I just learned that 120 film is just a code name by kodak, which started some film at 100. Perhaps 135 is just a coincidence and really its a code name just like 120

[f5fstop]

I just learned that 120 film is just a code name by kodak, which started some film at 100. Perhaps 135 is just a coincidence and really its a code name just like 120

That's what I said about three posts up.