Velvia

Velvia RVP
Maker	Fujifilm
Speed	ISO 50/18°
Type	Color slide
Balance	Daylight
Process	E-6
Format	35mm, 120, 220, 4×5 in, 8×10 in, 13×18 cm, Super 8†, 16mm† †Third party
Grain	RMS 9
Exposure latitude	±½ stop
Saturation	very high
Application	Nature
Introduced	1990
Discontinued	2005

Velvia 50 (Velvia II) RVP50
Maker	Fujifilm
Speed	ISO 50/18°
Type	Color slide
Balance	Daylight
Process	E-6
Format	35mm, 120, 220*, 4×5 in, 8×10 in*, QuickLoad 4×5 in* *Discontinued
Grain	RMS 9
Exposure latitude	±½ stop
Saturation	very high
Application	Nature
Introduced	2007

Velvia 100 RVP 100
Fuji Velvia 100 film cartridge
Speed	ISO 100/21°
Type	Color
Format	35mm, 120, 220, 4×5 in, 8×10 in
Grain	RMS 8
Exposure latitude	±½ stop
Saturation	very high
Application	Nature
Introduced	2005

Velvia is a brand of daylight-balanced color reversal film produced by the Japanese company Fujifilm. The name is a contraction of "Velvet Media", a reference to its smooth image structure. The original incarnation of the film was called "Velvia for Professionals", known as RVP, a classification code meaning "Reversal/Velvia/Professional series". It is known for its extremely high level of color saturation and image quality.

Velvia (RVP) was introduced in 1990 and quickly became a "must try" film, giving Kodachrome 25 some stiff competition as the industry standard in high-definition color film. It has brighter and generally more accurate color reproduction (though many see its high color saturation as unrealistic), finer grain, twice the speed, and a more convenient process (E-6). Kodachrome 25 fell out of popularity a few years after Velvia was introduced (in part because of Kodak's lack of interest in promoting their film); Kodachrome 64 and 200 followed more slowly. Kodachrome 25 had previously been considered the film to which all other films had been compared, and cannot fairly be compared to Velvia, as Kodachrome is an entirely different process, in which the image is produced with "color clouds" more so than grain.

Velvia has the highest resolving power of any slide film. A 35 mm Velvia slide can resolve up to 160 lines per mm.

Sunset over the St. Lawrence River, shot on 6x6 cm Velvia 50

A photo taken with Fuji Velvia 50 film

Velvia has very saturated colors under daylight, high contrast, and exceptional sharpness. These characteristics make it the slide film of choice for many nature photographers.

The original Velvia (RVP) was an ISO 50 film. In practice, many photographers used an exposure index (EI) of 40 or 32 to increase exposure slightly (one or two thirds of a stop respectively) in order to yield less saturated colors and more shadow detail. It was discontinued in 2008.

Velvia 50 (RVP50) was reintroduced, on the new film base, in 2009 after announcements under the provisional name Velvia II in 2008. The original Velvia (RVP) had been discontinued because of difficulties in obtaining some of the raw materials needed to make the emulsion. Fuji R&D created a new emulsion which substituted different materials in its manufacture yet retained the appearance of the classic Velvia.