*Note - this post is ONLY about Velvia 50 Large Format Sheet film - NOT about 35mm and 120mm formats which will be here for years to come.*
Fujichrome Velvia 50. The name alone elicits so many colorful visuals for anyone who has ever shot the film. Introduced in 1990 Velvia 50 fast became a landscape and stock favorite around the world and gave competing products at ISO 25 and 64 a run for their money. The speed and sharpness comparisons as well as the ease of the E-6 process vs the other chrome process led to a swift lead in sales for professionals around the globe.
The film is still kicking and offers a unique way to see the world. One I happen to love. Bold and sharp! A way many of us have waited almost a decade for digital to come close to. Getting that Velvia blue sky is tough with many digitals. The blue doesn't quite hit the rich navy side but stays a bit too cyan for me in many cameras.
So as time would have it the last order of Velvia 50 8x10 hit the USA shores this week and was sold to a photographer who bought up the last 12,000 sheets of 8x10 film!
Ponder that for a minute. Is that a commitment to chrome film or what??!
For those less familiar with Velvia's colors and sharpness I encourage you to pick up a roll and maybe even a processing mailer (Fujifilm sells them for ease after shooting) and give it a whirl. There is nothing better to test your mettle than a roll of chrome film. The ultimate test of metering. Not a lot of room to mess up and when you do you will see it in the positive staring back at you and confirming that yes indeed you screwed up and you don't want to do it again. This isn't about shooting RAW and pulling back an exposure by two stops or more and lightening shadows. Chrome shooting is about getting it right and then you get to enjoy that thrill.
So what does 12,000 sheets of 8x10 film look like? See it below for yourself!
Fujifilm continues to produce chrome film in several flavors!
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| One of my favorite Twin Towers shots from an old ball filed in Hoboken |
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FUJIFILM North America Corporation or its affiliates.bremler@fujifilm.com
Thanks for sharing this, even though I have no film cameras left. The end is nigh.....
ReplyDeleteMurph.
Why not do 1 special order cutting per year, like Ilford?
ReplyDeleteI'm Still shooting 4x5 velvia 50 quickload packs!!! I wish Fuji would bring back quickloads in Neopan and Velvia 50 for 4x5! I also burn 120 like its going out of style! Love the stuff!! I would guess its Peter Lik, otherwise Peter Lik is seriously bummed! LOL! if it were 35x40 sheets I would guess Ian Ruther but even he is not that crazy.
ReplyDeleteThere's a lot of contradictory information floating around about the state of Velvia for LF. Fuji posted a press release in February [1] claiming that they were only discontinuing 5x7 sheet film; that 4x5 and 8x10 sizes of RVP50, RVP100, and RVP100F would all continue to be available for distribution (assuming Google translate is accurate, it looks like they merely stopped production while they redesigned the products' packaging). Is LF RVP50 really gone? Do you think this press release only applies to distribution within Japan?
ReplyDelete[1] http://ffis.fujifilm.co.jp/information/articlein_0022.html
Hi Thomas. I agree there's a lot of confusion. My personal opinion is that the press release assumptions were incorrect. I would not have had to do a this final order which took 6 months to arrive if the film was not disc't. I was told repeatedly this is it - done - no more LF V50. I was told this by my USA marketing dept which is of course in touch with Tokyo that it's done. I've asked multiple times. So unless Tokyo pulls a rabbit out of a hat - I consider this a closed book. Thanks.
ReplyDelete