Velvia 50

[manuel_odabashian]

<p>I havn't shot slide film for a few years now for various reasons but i saw a few images shot using the new velvia 50. is it my imagination but is it now even more saturated than it was previously?</p>

[starvy]

<p>The my knowledge the emulsion changed when the old Velvia 50 was decided to be discontinued. I believe that Fuji had just wanted to keep the Velvia 100 going. I personally find Velvia 100 more useful, not the 100F version though. The old Velvia used to be rated at ISO40 by some shooters to reduce saturation and increase shadow details. Personally, I have only used the newer emulsion of 50 and found the colours to be rather lovely for my street photography needs.</p>

[eddy_d]

<p>I just shot a roll of it and, as I do with my other slide films, I get them cross processed.</p>

 

[lwg]

<p>I don't think the formulation has changed since they brought the 50 speed back a few years ago.</p>

[hoshisato]

<p>I can imagine people cranking up the saturation in Photoshop or Lightroom for the scans of Velvia 50 slides, like they do for colour negatives and digital photos, and ending up with something that might be a little over the top :-)</p>

[david_henderson]

<p>Like others, I don't think there has been a new Velvia since it was relaunched about five years ago following an abortive attempt to replace it first by 100F and subsequently by 100 and 100F. Fuji indicated at the time that the discontinuation was due to a critical ingredient becoming unavailable, which might give the impression that the relaunched RVP50 was in some way different to the original RVP. However in my experience there is little if any difference in the colour and contrast characteristics, and the only difference I saw is a marginal tendency for the new version to actually deliver its box speed, so a reduced need to set a lower ISO rating. </p>

<p>However, the extent of saturation (over-saturation?) Velvia provides varies with light levels. It is much less inclined to give unnatural colour and saturation if used under a full high sun - though of course many use Velvia with a polariser most of the time which will mask that. </p>

<p> </p>

[Robin Smith]

<p>The current Velvia 50 is the same as the old Velvia as far as I can see. Fuji tried to phase it out with the 100 speed offerings, but neither the 100 or 100F are the same as the original, so they were forced to bring it back. This is how I read the history, but it might not be true. Personally, I think the 100 is ghastly, whereas I like the original (50) and 100F - although they are quite different.</p>

[donbright]

<p>I too prefer the 50 over 100. I shot a few rolls of 100 in the field against natural foliage, and all I do is fight color shifts. 50 is accurate, and it renders natural earth tones better than anything in my view. </p>

[david_henderson]

<p>Velvia 100 isn't good for foliage IMO since it tends to turn shaded greens in the direction of cyan. Velvia 100F turns muted greens in the direction of a muddy brown-olive. Meanwhile some of you might recall descriptions of Velvia 50 on here by Scott Eaton and others as producing "Fisher-Price green". I guess it just depends what you like best. </p>

[Robin Smith]

<p>My term "like", does not equate to "accurately depict" No one should look to Velvia for the latter in my opinion.</p>

[manuel_odabashian]

<p>Well that's illuminating i'm also interested in the comments on velvia 100 and 100F which i've never used</p>

[donbright]

<p>Is there something, other than Velvia 50, that accurately depicts landscape tones? That has snap, and can pull of greens, and reds as well? My guess the answer would be, simply that its a matter of taste, style, personal choice, but how close does it get for tones of nature? Velvia 50 has been around since, what, 1990-92, and fuji has made attempts, successfully, to introduce other trans films, Provia as one example, yet RVP 50 is still cranking, and has a huge following in spite of opposing forces, or confusion as to what the purpose RVP 50 is designed for. I just love the stuff, but I guess, or I think, I've learned to dance around its limitations, and by keeping things simple, I use it for one genre. Landscapes.</p>

[david_henderson]

<blockquote>Is there something, other than Velvia 50, that accurately depicts landscape tones?</blockquote>

<p>Well not in my opinion Don. Thats because there's another dimension than the relationship between a film and a particular colour, and that is the nature of the light and wind that applies at the time of shooting. There are films (and in my view Provia is one, and Kodak G/GX were maybe others that depict most colours pretty well. But the available range has shrunk, and Provia is pretty poor in shade without warming filters. </p>

<p>After a decade or more shooting thousands of frames of slide film every year, this is how I ended up. But bear in mind that I shot MF with probably 3 backs in the bag, so I could change films for every shot if I wanted</p>

<p>Here's where I ended up</p>

<p><strong>Provia 400X</strong> A decently accurate 400ISO film for when wind or the need for a polariser ruled out 50/100 ISO choices<br>

<strong>Velvia 50 </strong>My standard film for when it's sunny or in dull but full light. Velvia 50 gives a much-needed boost to colour in poor light.<br>

<strong>Provia 100F </strong>My standard film for before sunrise and after sunset- just because it keeps the reds and magentas under control better than the Velvias. Its not great but its better than Velvia. Also in full sun when greens play an important part in the picture. If you want neutral greys and pinks in sun, the Velvia 100 will give these better than Velvia 50, where greys have a warm tint and pinks tend to be salmon.</p>

<p>But all this reflects what I think looks right. There are people that travel the world just to get the powerful reds at places like Bryce Canyon where I threw away three quarters of what I got on Velvia. I suspect that we all see things a little differently and I'm sure that we tend to like different things. </p>

<p> </p>

[AlanKlein]

<p>These are Velvia 50 RVP in 120 format (15-20 years ago). Since they are scanned (with my V600), and manipulated in post as well as during the scan, I'm not sure if they are any longer representative of Velvia 50. The hybrid process changes the colors so final results will vary depending on your work process. I wonder therefore, if we can say anything definitive any longer among different films.</p>

<p>The one thing I do find is that with portraiture, its' hard to tone down the reds even in post.</p>

<p>http://www.flickr.com/photos/alanklein2000/tags/velvia/</p>

[donbright]

<p>I have found that the, 'old,' Velvia 50 had a green shift in the shadows, where the, 'new,' has a blue shift in the shadows. Easily remedied.</p>

[wblynch]

<p>How does one remedy colors on the projection screen?<br>

Are there filters for such use?<br>

Or are filters required on the camera, at exposure time?</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

 

[donbright]

<p>I use a 81A, to start, unless light is dark, and blue, then I'll go strait through the 81 series, even as far as 81EF, or occasionally an 85C, that has a magenta layer in it.</p>

[steve_rasmussen]

<p>Here's how I see it. There doesn't seem to be much difference between the old Velvia 50 and the new version. Velvia 100f seems to be a less saturated version of Velvia 50 with greens and blues not having the punch of the 50 speed film. The Velvia 100 is quite different from either, in that it favors the red- orange end of the spectrum. It does great with red flowers in landscape work but it will turn brown rock to a reddish color, so be careful. Provia 400X is a fine grained (for its speed) moderately saturated film that is very handy for big glass shooting. It is not so good for landscapes though, when compared side by side with the 50 speed film. </p>

 

[hoshisato]

<p>I shot this recently on Velvia 50: /><br /></p>

[donbright]

<p>Steve, Thanks for lining all of that up. Very good. It's always nice to get the straight scoop!</p>

[wblynch]

<p>Buy it while you can!</p>