Fuji Velvia 50 vs 100 vs Provia 100

For slides, I was shooting only Velvia 50 but last week I tried Provia 100 and I liked it. Can someone say what's the different between these?

Thanks

There are some important differences between Velvia 50 and Provia 100, as well as dozens (hundreds?) of websites and forum threads in APUG and elsewhere discussing their characteristics, uses and related enjoyment and dissatisfaction.

Indeed, the information provided by Fujifilm (leaving the marketing stuff aside) is a good start:

http://www.fujifilm.com/products/professional_films/color_reversalfilms/velvia_50/

http://www.fujifilm.com/products/professional_films/color_reversalfilms/provia_100f/

Since you have used both films, it would be interesting to know what differences you noticed (if any) and how your experience compares with the existing "knowledge".

According to the datasheets:
provia has a dynamic range about a stop longer than velvia. provia has more natural colour than velvia which has more saturated colours. Velvia, according to fuji, gives slightly higher resolution which I think would be more noticeable in the lower contrast areas of the slide if you were really looking for it.
So velvia would be slightly better for low contrast scenes than provia would be providing you are happy with the colour saturation.
Provia would better for higher contrast scenes such as in the middle of the day.
But serious users of either of these films shooting landscapes will probably be picking dusk or dawn to get optimal lighting to suit the film contrast and colour saturation.
If you happen to be digitising after the event, then provia will provide a more natural colour starting point which may or may not be easier to deal with depending on what your targets are for colour saturation in the finished print.

I would rather say what's the difference between Velvia and any other slide film (not very many left).
Velvia is a beast apart. Short dynamic range, peculiar "colour rendition personality".
When seen projected on a screen, all other types (Ektachrome, Various Fujis, former Agfas etc.) were not readily distinguishable from each other. Velvia is, I think, generally more easily recogniseable as Velvia. I shot only a few rolls of Velvia, as an experiment. I saw it didn't fit my photography nor my taste. All other film types are fine for me and, although I have a preference for Astia (RIP), I would consider all of them to be mutually substituable. Velvia is the different and somehow "anomalous" product IMO.

I've shot all three - Velvia 50, Velvia 100, and Provia 100.

People on Velvia 100 look like they have sunburns, on Velvia 50 in the shade they look OK, but the most realistic skin tones of the three are on Provia 100.

For landscapes, Velvia 50 can be downright magical. Very saturated colors. The slow speed makes it possible to get those misty waterfall photos. You can get those on Provia 100 too, but Provia 100 is the most neutral of the three.

amellice said:

For slides, I was shooting only Velvia 50 but last week I tried Provia 100 and I liked it. Can someone say what's the different between these?

Thanks

Click to expand...

Provia 100 has been through three iterations since its release, each time small tweaks made to the palette which is descended from Velvia's, but much more moderated with additionial exposure latitude (though not much!). It is a "cool" film, meaning it will often benefit from a slight warming filter, even in benign shooting conditions. Unlike Velvia, it handles bright daylight and heavy contrasts a lot better. The palette is more subdued which has been beneficial for some photographers printing direct to the (defunct) Ilfochrome Classic media in lieu of the more saturated (but gold standard for Ilfochrome) Velvia. Either film is excellent for landscape and scenic work, but Provia is a better choice in very contrasty conditions.

Technically, moderating Velvia's and Provia's response is down to knowledge of exposure and the scene being photographed. I use a polariser all the time with Velvia, and contrary to an automatic assumption, this does not result in extreme saturation when exposure is moderated. I can make Velvia 50 look like Reala, and Provia like Kodachrome in ideal conditions (not often!).

Velvia 100 gets a lot of stick for its even more saturated primaries and troublesome highlight/shadow clips. It's often better (only just) overexposed slightly (+0.3 to +0.6 or +0.5). But this will make highlights very, very sensitive to flaring.

Colonel Blimp said:

There are some important differences between Velvia 50 and Provia 100, as well as dozens (hundreds?) of websites and forum threads in APUG and elsewhere discussing their characteristics, uses and related enjoyment and dissatisfaction.

Indeed, the information provided by Fujifilm (leaving the marketing stuff aside) is a good start:

http://www.fujifilm.com/products/professional_films/color_reversalfilms/velvia_50/

http://www.fujifilm.com/products/professional_films/color_reversalfilms/provia_100f/

Since you have used both films, it would be interesting to know what differences you noticed (if any) and how your experience compares with the existing "knowledge".

Click to expand...

for starters, Velvia is definitely more saturated

Fuji offered a suite of three kinds of daylight chrome film, each of which has had some evolution and variation over the production period: low contrast(for a slide film)/high color accuracy Astia, medium contrast and saturation Provia, and high contrast/high saturation Velvia, which has a lot
of snap on a slide projector, but is probably the least versatile if you want something to print from. Sadly, not many people appreciated the special
qualities of Astia, so it sold relatively poorly and was the first to go. Provia is basically the extant general-purpose slide film, and Velvia its glitzy
rich cousin, though it is a nice product for boosting low-contrast scenes. I liked it in the fog, but not for much else. It could differentiate certain hues
of green nicely that other chrome films could not; but those distinctions require a very high quality lens and advanced darkroom skills to ever actually
render in a print. Printing is a very different game than just looking at a saturated image over a lightbox. What I hate about the recent Provia is that
even the sheet film version is made on dimensionally unstable acetate base rather than the superior polyester base medium.