Grain. There's no grain at all. Resolution power on the top. Sharpness is great, too. Colors are subdued compared to Velvia 50, flesh tones are better, but (in my opinion) not perfect. Gray tones are better than 50, show more detail. Overall, the colors are GOOD. Not great, see below.
Weaknesses:
One: actually, it doesn't deserve the name "Velvia" on the box. Reds are not really Velvia-like reds. If you shoot something at 50 and 100F velvia the same time you'll notice that what was red in the real world and remained red at the 50, that will orange in the 100F. Various browns are turns to grayish, compared again to the 50. This is not really a defect, it gives you GOOD colors. But not really if it compared to its predecessor.
Similar Products Used:
Velvia 50, Provia 100. These 2 films are similar from Fuji. If you love both of them, give it a try, because this film is "mixing" the 2 others' specialties.
In one word - Awful !
Just what is Fuji trying to do with this film ? Velvia 50 has a purpose ..Disney colors. And Fuji Provia 100F is the finest general purpose film on the planet. Fine grained and just enough saturation, but not too much. Where does Velvia 100F fit in ? Nowhere.
I got burnt by Velvia 100F a year ago on a trip to Monument Valley. It has the ugliest brown/red brown palette you can imagine. Don't photograph red rocks with it..you will regret it for the rest of your life! And beware, when photographing anything red..especially red rocks at sunset. If the redness crosses a (not very high) threshold, it will max out. When I saw the mittens of Monument valley as they came out on film, I almost threw up. There were big dabs of red where there should have been detail. I initially blamed it on a bad batch of film, but just a few days ago like an idiot I decided to gave it another shot, and this time on 4x5. And sure enough, everything that went wrong last time did so again.
My two cents -- if you want Disney colors, shoot Velvia 50. If you want nice looking natural colors go with Provia 100F and saturate in Photoshop if you like. There isn't anything better. And finally for near exact tone reproduction there is Astia 100F - another brilliant emulsion from Fuji. Just stay away from Velvia 100F.
Strengths:
Fine grain.
Weaknesses:
Color palette
Similar Products Used:
Provia 100F, Astia 100F, Velvia 50, Kodachrome 64 (this is the worst)
Tried out a few rolls of this film at the Cincinnati Zoo's flower exhibit this spring, and won't go back to anything else for outdoor photography. I rated at ISO 80 and processed normally... the colors were perfectly vivid without being overdone, sharpness and grain are the best available.
As a seasoned amateur photographer, I like Velvia 50 a lot.
On the other hand, I LOVE Velvia 100F. It's my favorite slide film. Why? The colors are rich, warm, and vibrant and it's crisp and sharp. Even the skintones are adequate (but still no match for other, less saturated films).
If you like Velvia 50, give Velvia 100F a try. You'll love it!
Strengths:
Rich, warm, vibrant colors
Crisp and sharp
Weaknesses:
Skintones just adequate
Similar Products Used:
Fujichrome Velvia 50 (see my review)
Kodak Elite Chrome Extra Color (see my review)
First the good news, this really is Velvia with some of its drawbacks corrected. It is a true 100 speed film, so you get the extra stop (1-1/3)that so limited Velvia50 for outdoor use. The colors are bright and vivid, but are more natural and less cartoonish than Velvia50. Colors are for the most part true, without the blue shift of Provia. There is essentially no grain, even at 100X magnification.
Now for the bad news, this really is Velvia and some of its drawbacks are still there. There is no mistaking that this is a Fuji film, with its cold, stark, somewhat unsettling palette. I cannot understand how Fuji can make such a saturated film and still manage to render a rich, golden hay field as a dirty, grayish brown. Reds are still a bit "overdone", making it less than optimal for macros of red flowers. There is practically no dynamic range. Shadows are a complete, featureless black. If the exposure is off by half a stop, the picture is ruined.
This film benefits immensely from a warming filter, and if I were to shoot it I would leave the filter on all the time and just live with the half stop loss. Unfortunately, this still leaves you with the lack of dynamic range and black, distracting, featureless shadows. Ektachrome VS is still a better outdoor film as it solves both of these problems, even if it shows some slight grain at high magnifications
Strengths:
No grain
100 speed (real)
Vivid colors w/o being cartoonish
Weaknesses:
Very contrasty, poor dynamic range
Cold Fuji palette
Don't take it to the Grand Canyon!
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