Fujichrome Velvia 100 Professional - a new higher-speed version of the incredibly popular Velvia 50 colour transparency film from Fujifilm. First announced last year, Fujifilm will be showcasing Fujichrome Velvia 100 Professional at the PMA Show in Orlando next week.

Fujifilm USA Press Release

FUJIFILM INTRODUCES FUJICHROME VELVIA 100 PROFESSIONAL

Successor to Velvia 50 Offers Higher Speed and Finer Grain

Valhalla, NY, February 8, 2005 - Fuji Photo Film U.S.A., Inc. is introducing new Fujichrome Velvia 100 Professional color transparency film at the PMA 2005 Annual Convention and Trade Show in Orlando, FL. Velvia 100 employs new technologies to deliver finer grain and twice the speed while offering the color saturation and palette that have made Velvia 50 the film of choice for leading landscape and nature photographers.

“Fujichrome Velvia 50 was the first high color saturation, high contrast transparency E-6 compatible film when it was introduced in 1990, and it has been a favorite among photographers ever since,” said Steve Herstatt, Marketing Director, Professional Film, Imaging Group, Fujifilm USA. “In new Velvia 100, using its vast emulsion experience and knowledge, Fujifilm has applied updated technology to develop an improved product that is truly a worthy successor to the original. The new generation Velvia 100 not only will appeal to photographers demanding the color saturation standard that Velvia 50 created, but will also provide state of the art technology that fits in perfectly with the complete Fujichrome Professional line.”

Features
Fujichrome Velvia 100 has several characteristic features that set it apart from the marketplace.

ISO 100 speed - At ISO 100, Fujichrome Velvia 100 provides a more useful speed for greater flexibility in varied shooting situations.

Ultra-high-saturated color reproduction - Color saturation is an important feature of Fujichrome 50. Recognizing this, and by incorporating advanced cyan, magenta, and yellow couplers as well as CEL (Color-Extension Layer) technology, new Fujichrome Velvia 100 gives photographers the saturation they require with the added advantages of higher speed and finer grain.

Super-fine grain - Fujichrome Velvia 100 boasts an RMS* granularity of 8**, a significant improvement over Velvia 50 and ranking it alongside other Fujifilm professional film products, such as Fujichrome Astia 100F, Fujichrome Provia 100F and Fujichrome Velvia 100F as the finest grained in its speed class.

Improved color stability - The new color couplers employed in Fujichrome Velvia 100 significantly improve color stability and freedom from fading/shift over conventional films.

Improved versatility - Fujichrome Velvia 100 can accept push/pull processing from 1/2 stop to + 1 stop with minimal changes to color balance and gradation. Push can even be extended to up to 2 stops, depending on the subject, allowing easy and precise correction of exposure and density.

Availability - The new Fujichrome Velvia 100 is designed to replace the current Velvia 50 product line. Initial shipments of the new Velvia 100 are scheduled for late spring 2005. It is anticipated that Velvia 50 will be available for the balance of 2005. Fujifilm intends to make the transition from Velvia 50 to the new Velvia 100 as smooth as possible for professional photographers by having both Velvia products available simultaneously in 2005 to allow photographers time to test the new product.

Velvia 100 Professional: Technologies

PSHC (Pure, Stable & High-Performance Dye-Forming Coupler) technologies
The couplers developed for new Fujichrome Velvia 100 combine remarkable color stability with high color formation efficiency. This makes possible not only Velvia 100’s fundamental ultra-high saturation, but also its outstanding image stability.

  * X-Coupler technology: A unique cyan coupler developed by Fujifilm and employed in such products as Velvia 100F.
  * V-Coupler technology: A magenta coupler that extends the technology that has markedly improved color reproduction and stability in products such as Fujifilm’s color papers.
  * S-Coupler technology: An enhanced yellow coupler that improves upon the already excellent color reproduction and stability characteristics of Fujifilm’s current generation of yellow couplers.

Together with these new-generation X, V, and S couplers, new Fujichrome Velvia 100 further benefits from dramatically reduced secondary absorption constituents - a primary cause of color impurity in other film products.

CEL (Color Extension Layer) technology
The multi-color correction layers that contribute to faithful color reproduction in Fujichrome Velvia 100F have been reworked to function as color extension layers in Velvia 100. In combination with the new-generation color couplers and optimized gradation and spectral sensitivity, color extension layers give Velvia 100 the ability to record natural greens, the glory of morning and evening skies, and other dramatic colors with intensity.

MSSC (Multi-Structured Sigma Crystal) technology
Based upon the highly regarded ultra-fine grain emulsion technology of Provia 100F, the new Fujichrome Velvia 100 grain structure has been further improved even while maintaining ultra-high color saturation. MSSC technology makes it possible to manufacture a film that actually surpasses the existing Velvia product in terms of both the fineness of grain (RMS granularity: 8) and speed (ISO100).

About Fujifilm
Fuji Photo Film U.S.A., Inc. is a subsidiary of Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. and delivers technology solutions to meet the imaging and information needs of retailers, consumers, professionals and business customers. As a global leader in digital imaging, Fujifilm pioneered the development of digital medical systems, and today is the leader in digital minilab systems. The company was ranked in the top ten for U.S. patents granted during the last decade, employs 73,000 people worldwide and in the year ending March 31, 2004, had global revenues of more than $24 billion.

In the U.S., Fujifilm is a leader in delivering high quality, easy-to-use imaging and information solutions in the following categories: Digital Imaging Systems, Recording/Storage Media, Film and Imaging Systems, Motion Picture Film, Graphic Arts and Printing Systems and Medical Imaging and Diagnostics Systems. Fujifilm is an environmentally friendly, humane enterprise and an exemplary corporate citizen.

For more information on Fujifilm products, consumers can call 800-800-FUJI or access the Fujifilm USA Web site at www.fujifilm.com.