Fujichrome Fortia SP film re-released in Japan

Fuji Fortia SP

Fuji have re-released the "limited edition" Fortia SP slide film in Japan. It’s ISO 50 (though it’s recommended that you shoot it at 64), has extremely high colour saturation (apparently higher than Velvia 50), and high contrast. It’s available in 35mm and 120 with no plans for distribution outside of Japan.

You can order it from megaperls, though, who carry some other films that are difficult to get outside of Japan, such as Fuji Neopan SS (ISO 100, not Acros) and Fuji Presto 400 B&W films and Fuji Natura 1600 colour print film. It aint cheap, though.

Velvia 50 to be reintroduced in US

On the heels Fujifilm UK’s announcement last week that Velvia 50 slide film would be reintroduced to the UK [see previous post], Fujifilm USA today announced that the same would happen in the US:

Fujifilm press release:

FUJIFILM U.S.A., Inc. is pleased to announce plans to re-introduce an ISO 50 Fujichrome Velvia professional film, tentatively named Velvia II. Fujichrome Velvia (RVP 50) was the first high color saturation, high contrast transparency E-6 compatible film when it was introduced in 1990 and was a favorite among photographers. Its discontinuation was announced last year due to difficulties in procuring some of the raw materials used to produce the emulsion.

"Since we announced the discontinuation of Velvia 50, we have been inundated with requests from photographers worldwide to continue production,” said Christian Fridholm, Director of Marketing, Picture Taking, Imaging Division, Fujifilm USA. “They had used Velvia for many years and consider it unmatched in terms of quality and character. One of Fujifilm’s main priorities is to nurture the culture of photography, so we took those requests very seriously."

As a result, Fujifilm research and development teams have developed substitute raw materials and new manufacturing technologies that enable the company to restart production. The new film is expected to be available in late spring 2007. The characteristics of the new emulsion will mirror that of the previous product.

"We are pleased to, once again, demonstrate our commitment to photographic film and to our photographer customers," concluded Fridholm. Specific details, including naming, pricing and shipment dates will be announced when they become available.

[corporate spew removed]

For more information on FUJIFILM U.S.A. products, customers can call 800-800-FUJI or access the FUJIFILM U.S.A. Web site at www.fujifilmusa.com.

Velvia 50 to be reintroduced!

Aw yeah! Velvia 50, a very saturated, fine-grained slide film loved by landscape photographers, will return! It’s also really nice to cross process in C-41 chemistry, just shoot at EI 25 for a nice density range.

Fujifilm press release:

Fujifilm Professional is delighted to announce that the company is planning to re-launch Fujichrome Velvia 50 into the UK market.

Production of Velvia 50 was halted at the beginning of 2005 when vital raw materials used in the production of the emulsion became unavailable. The re-launch of Velvia 50 is a further illustration of Fujifilm’s continued commitment to the production and promotion of professional film.

Russ Gunn, Fujifilm Professional Product Manager, made this comment: "We have received many requests from photographers to restart manufacturing, as they had used Velvia 50 for many years and consider it unmatched in terms of quality and character. One of Fujifilm’s main priorities is to nurture the culture of photography, so we have been reviewing the possibility of restarting production."

Gunn continued: "In response to these requests our research and development teams have been working hard to develop substitute raw materials and new manufacturing technologies that enable us to restart production of this famous emulsion. We are planning to re-introduce the new Velvia 50 in the spring of 2007. The characteristics of the new emulsion will mirror that of the previous product. Many photographers were understandably upset when we were forced to withdraw Velvia 50, and we are delighted to be able to announce its re-introduction."

An announcement of specific details, including price, formats and availability schedule will be made as soon as they are available. The existing range of Fujifilm Professional films will remain unaltered.

For further information, please visit www.fujifilm.co.uk/professional

Fuji to discontinue bulk 35mm film

Remember the saying "film is cheap"? Those days are gone—or at least going. Fuji has announced the end of production for Neopan black and white films in 100-foot (30.5 meter) bulk roll format, scheduled for March 2007. The films will continue to be available in pre-loaded cassettes, and of course other formats like 120 and sheet.

Will future photography students bother to explore film when the cost of a roll of 35mm black and white film may approach $10?

Continue reading at The Online Photographer

Fujifilm Fine Art Museum inkjet paper

Fuji press release:

Fuji Hunt’s dedicated R&D division has long been developing methods to bring digital printing media to a par with traditional papers. Now, a new trio of especially smooth finishes have passed the quality barrier and represent the very best materials on which imagery of all types can be printed.

Fuji Hunt’s range of FUJIFILM Fine Art Museum inkjet media, which has already proven extremely popular with users seeking a higher than average result, especially when used for display and exhibition work in both black-and-white and colour, has been extended with three additional products: Fine Art Museum Baryt paper; Fine Art Museum Smooth RAG paper; and HD White Cotton Canvas.

Baryt, or baryta, photographic paper has long been recognised for its superior smooth finish. Traditionally, the baryta sizing used on this paper overcomes any fibrous effect by filling the pores of the paper via a barium sulphate suspension, the material then being calendered to produce an exceptionally smooth surface. This gives images printed on it a high level of sharpness, maximum tonal range and separation, while also avoiding contamination by any impurities in the paper base.

Creating baryt paper is an extremely specialist process, and it is usually only used for the best hand finished fine art printing. However, with FUJIFILM Fine Art Museum Baryt paper, Fuji Hunt has launched a unique inkjet 300gsm version which incorporates all the benefits of a silver halide baryt paper, and enables a superb level of reproduction or original imaging to be achieved across a wide range of applications.

In fact, the density rating (d-max) of the product is higher than that of traditional silver halide baryt paper, enabling images to be created which exhaustive testings and close examination have shown to be of a higher grade than pure silver halide.

Initially, FUJIFILM Fine Art Museum Baryt paper is being supplied in roll form in sizes to fit all the FUJIFILM/EPSON Stylus Pro printers, with cut sheet form in sizes up to A3+ (329x483mm, 13x19ins) due in the autumn.

The current Fujifilm Fine Art 300gsm Photo Rag paper is a mould-made fine art paper with special matt coating which has proven a leading medium for high quality fine art reproductions. Now, the company is introducing a unique smooth version called, appropriately, FUJIFILM Fine Art Museum Smooth RAG paper.

The unique structure of this material ensures not only that beautifully finished and highly contrasted images will result, but also that the material will stay flat, without the curling which often faces users of smooth heavyweight media.

Canvas materials have long been popular for printing reproductions of works of art and for showing fine art photographic work to its best. So it is that Fuji Hunt is completing the new smooth trio with a high-density 400gsm brilliant white canvas called FUJIFILM HD White Cotton Canvas.

This specially coated pure cotton canvas brings a vitality to images printed on it which was not previously possible on authentic canvas materials. Its brilliant white finish enables bright, vivid colours to be shown as fresh as newly painted. When used for black-and-white prints and reproductions, this product comes into its own as it produces maximum contrast images with the full gamut of subtle mid tones and shades.

Altogether, these new media take the field of inkjet printing to a new level of excellence and authenticity not previously possible, and are expected to make a strong impact on its markets.

For full details of the FUJIFILM Fine Art Museum media contact Greg Jackson at Fuji Hunt Digital Solutions by telephone: 02476 455 575, email: gjackson@fujhunt.com or visit www.fujihunt.com

Via PhotographyBLOG

Last chance to order Fujichrome Velvia 50

Fujifilm press release:

Fujifilm Professional has announced that the final shipment of Fujichrome Velvia 50 has now been received.

This means that once the stock held in the company’s warehouse has been sold there will be no more of the film available.

Fujifilm has been forced into ceasing production of Velvia 50 due to vital raw materials used in the production of the emulsion becoming unavailable.

Despite the withdrawal of Velvia 50, Fujifilm Professional remains committed to the continued production and promotion of professional film. This commitment is illustrated by the launch of three new professional films last year (Fujicolor Pro 160S, Pro 160C and Fujichrome Velvia 100) and there are already plans to launch a further two new professional films in 2006.

While Velvia 50 has traditionally been the favoured film for many photographers there has always been the demand for a film that offers high colour saturation but with higher speed and finer grain – Velvia 100 provides this.

Fuji introduce Provia 400X slide film

Fuji Provia 400X 120 pro-pack

According to Fuji’s press release, the new Provia 400X Professional ISO 400 slide film features:

Brilliant color reproduction: Fujichrome Provia 400X Professional provides new levels of color saturation in ISO 400 class films.

Ultra-fine grain: Fujichrome Provia 400X Professional provides exceptionally fine grain for a 400 speed color reversal film (RMS: 11).

Rich tone reproduction: Fujichrome Provia 400X Professional produces smooth and continuous gradation from highlights to shadows, providing pleasing skin tone reproduction.

Improved color image stability: Fujichrome Provia 400X incorporates new-generation color couplers for significantly improved long-term color image stability (anti-fading characteristics) compared to current 400 speed color reversal films.

(end quote)

Also mentioned in the Provia 400X brochure (PDF) is "minimal change in color intensity and tonality throughout the -1/2 stop to +2 stop range (EI 280-1600), and extending even to +3 stops (EI 3200) in certain conditions." Nice!

I can’t wait to see what this stuff does when cross processed and pushed. I like to use crossed and pushed Provia 400F for pinhole work on overcast days, but it does get insanely grainy. Hopefully this will be a little less severe. (I actually like its grain-the-size-of-boulders characteristics, but it’s nice to have a choice.)

With all this strife for film companies and product lines of late, it’s nice to see new stuff coming out!

Provia 400X will be available in 135-36 and 120 formats. The film code appears to be RXP.

Fuji introduce T64 tungsten color print film

Roll of Fuji T64 in 120 format

According to Fuji’s press release, T64 Professional tungsten-balanced ISO 64 color print film features:

Smooth, natural gradation: T64 Professional has been optimized to yield natural tones and continuous gray balance for smooth, accurate reproduction of subtle gradation from highlights through shadows under delicate tungsten light.

Excellent color fidelity: In addition to optimizing spectral sensitivity, Multi-Color-Correcting-Layer technology achieves characteristics that closely mimic the spectral sensitivity of the human eye. Combined with new-generation color couplers, this gives T64 Professional one of the highest levels of hue fidelity, including delicate colors beyond the reach of existing films, making this film most suitable for the stringent color reproduction demands of commercial photography and the photographing of paintings and other artwork.

Color image performance: Incorporation of new-generation color couplers gives T64 Professional significantly improved color image stability and resistance to fading compared to prior generation color reversal films.

Ultra-fine grain: With the incorporation of Multi-Structured Sigma Crystal Technology, new T64 Professional achieves one of the highest levels of ultra-fine grain with an RMS granularity of 7, giving it an impressive ability to express the delicate textures, dimensions and subtle gradations that are required to achieve professional results under tungsten lighting.

Superb push/pull processing suitability: New T64 Professional exhibits minimum variation in color and gradation during push/pull processing over a range of -1/2 to +1 stop, providing an expanded range of photo taking opportunities, as well as facilitating fine adjustments in exposure and density during processing.

(end quote)

T64 is available in the following formats: 36 exposure 35mm, 100′ 35mm bulk roll, 120, 4×5, 4×5 QuickLoad, and 8×10.

Read the T64 brochure (PDF) at Fuji.