Official Fuji Press Release on Velvia 100F

To all:
Here is the "official" statement about Velvia 100F. Note the comments and
comparison to Velvia 50.

Jim

http://www.fujifilm.com/JSP/fuji/epartners/PRNewsDetail.jsp?DBID=NEWS_547200

FUJIFILM ANNOUNCES FUJICHROME VELVIA 100F PROFESSIONAL
Fujifilm Redefines Marketplace for Professional Photographers with the Debut
of New ISO 100-Speed; Velvia Goes Beyond Color, Boasts Extremely Fine Grain

PMA 2003, LAS VEGAS, March 2, 2003 ? Fuji Photo Film U.S.A., Inc., will
again redefine the color reproduction palette for professional
photographers, with the announcement today of the company's FUJICHROME
Velvia 100F Professional (RVP)100F. The first new Velvia film in more than
a decade is a color transparency film that brings the ultra-high-saturated
color of Fujifilm's renowned Velvia to the ISO 100 speed class.

FUJICHROME Velvia 100F Professional employs the industry's first
Multi-Color-Correction Layer technology in a color reversal film as well as
a range of other new coupler and emulsion technologies, FUJICHROME Velvia
100F represents a truly state-of-the-art photographic film. This new
flagship product in the professional film line promises to meet the color
and quality expectations of even the most demanding photographers. The
Velvia 100F will provide new professional quality for a wide range of
professional applications from the nature and landscape fields to
commercial and product photography.

"With the introduction of FUJICHROME Velvia 100F Professional, Fujifilm will
raise the standards for professional transparency film, by adding to the
color palette of tools for the professional photographer a new dimension of
color fidelity and speed," said Steve Herstatt, Director of Marketing,
Professional Products, Fuji Photo Film U.S.A., Inc.

The original FUJICHROME Velvia product was unique to the marketplace when it
was introduced in 1990. Fujichrome VELVIA was the first high color
saturation, high contrast transparency E-6 compatible film on the
marketplace. Since its introduction, FUJICHROME Velvia has created a legacy
for the industry by elevating the level of results that professional
photographers expect from transparency film.

The new Velvia also matches the ultra-fine grain of another Fujifilm
product, Provia 100F Professional, with an RMS* granularity of 8** ? as it
delivers an even more accurate, faithful color reproduction.

With the simultaneous announcement of FUJICHROME Velvia 100F and ASTIA 100F
at PMA 2003, combined with Fujifilm's award winning products, Provia 100F
and 400F films and the FUJICHROME F series, Fujifilm now offers a
comprehensive selection of professional-quality color transparency films.

Features
FUJICHROME Velvia 100F has several characteristic features that set it apart
on the marketplace.

ISO 100 speed ? Answering the demand from photographers for an ISO 100 speed
film with the same rich, vivid color as the current Velvia (ISO 50),
FUJICHROME Velvia 100F offers new freedom, flexibility, and ease of use in
unique shooting situations.

Ultra-high-saturated color reproduction ? Incorporating new cyan, magenta,
and yellow couplers, FUJICHROME Velvia 100F raises the bar for color
saturation among ISO 100 films. From applications such as a use in nature
and landscape photography to demanding commercial assignments, professional
photographers can count on the new Fujichrome Velvia 100F to deliver the
same rich, beautiful color as the current Velvia (ISO 50).

World-class color fidelity ? In addition to its new couplers, FUJICHROME
Velvia 100F includes a fourth color layer that corrects the way the film
"sees" green hues by bringing its spectral sensitivity into line with that
of the human eye. Additional color correction layers further improve its
ability to distinguish a full range of red and blue hues. These
innovations, together with optimization of the response of the red
sensitive and green sensitive layers, assure world-class color accuracy.
FUJICHROME Velvia 100F faithfully reproduces the finest nuances of even
hues that test the limitations of conventional films, notably cyan-blue,
blue-green, yellow-green, lemon yellow, moss green, and purple. This
exceptional performance assures that FUJICHROME Velvia 100F will fully meet
the most stringent requirements for color fidelity in commercial and
product photography.

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

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

Availability
FUJICHROME Velvia 100F Professional is scheduled for availability for the
commercial marketplace in the third quarter of 2003. Fujifilm plans to
continue making current Fujichrome Velvia (ISO 50) available for purchase
following the introduction of FUJICHROME Velvia 100F.

Velvia 100F Professional: Technologies

PSHC (Pure, Stable & High-Performance Dye-Forming Coupler) technologies
The new couplers developed for FUJICHROME Velvia 100F and Astia 100F, its
sister product announced simultaneously at PMA 2003, combine remarkable
color purity and stability with high color formation efficiency. This makes
possible not only FUJICHROME Velvia 100F's fundamental ultra-high
saturation, but also its unprecedented color accuracy and outstanding image
stability.

* X-Coupler technology: A unique new cyan coupler developed by Fujifilm
and employed for the first time in a color reversal film.
* V-Coupler technology: A new magenta coupler that extends the
technology that has markedly improved color reproduction and stability in
products such as Fujifilm's color papers. This is also the first
application of this technology in color reversal film.
* 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 X, V, and S couplers, FUJICHROME Velvia 100F further
benefits from dramatically reduced secondary absorption constituents ? a
primary cause of color impurity in other film products.

MCCL (Multi-Color-Correction Layer) technologies
In addition to optimized spectral sensitivity characteristics of the three
primary color (R, G, B) layers, this technology incorporates a color
correction layer that mimics the response of the human eye to adjust
reproduction of green hues. Another color correction layer works to assure
more faithful reproduction of reds, while yet another for blue assists in
capturing the subtle and complex colors of the natural world.

MSSC (Multi-Structured Sigma Crystal) technology
Based upon the highly regarded ultra-fine grain emulsion technology of
Provia 100F, the FUJICHROME Velvia 100F 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: and speed (ISO100).

About Fujifilm
Fuji Photo Film U.S.A., Inc. is the U.S. marketing subsidiary of Fuji Photo
Film Co., Ltd. of Tokyo (FUJIY), a leading global manufacturer in three
business segments, including Imaging Solutions, Information Solutions and
Document Solutions. Recognized for its technological innovation and high
quality, Fujifilm offers a complete portfolio of imaging, information and
document products, services and e-solutions to retailers, consumers,
professionals and business customers.