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Fujifilm Velvia 100 Discontinued in the US Because of the EPA

Chris Gampat
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07/06/2021
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Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Fujifilm Velvia 100 Mamiya 6 review 10

Last Updated on 07/06/2021 by Chris Gampat

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Today, Fujifilm Velvia 100 is being discontinued by Fujifilm in America. And this time around, it’s not because of sales. It’s fairly well-known industry knowledge that everyone reaches for Velvia 50 instead. But Fujifilm Velvia 100 is being discontinued only in America. Why? The answer is with Phenol, Isopropylated Phosphate. This chemical is part of the layers of Fujifilm Velvia 100. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) considers it a carcinogen. Even though photographers would never physically touch the layer, Fujifilm needs to discontinue the product. However, sales of Fujifilm Velvia may continue. You might want to go to Amazon right now and pick some up. 

Fujifilm officially has until around September 5th, 2021, to stop production of Fujifilm Velvia 100 in 35mm, 120, and large format within the United States. That also means that you’ll have until then to get it developed, to our understanding. According to a memo that went out today,

A miniscule amount (less than 0.0003%) of PIP (3:1) is present within the layers of FUJICHROME Velvia 100 Professional films. Fujifilm believes that the trace amount of PIP (3:1) in the FUJICHROME Velvia 100 Professional films pose no risk to the environment.

As a global leader in imaging, Fujifilm is committed to acting sustainably, and complying with all country regulations. As such, Fujifilm will discontinue FUJICHROME Velvia 100 Professional film in the U.S. effective immediately (July 6, 2021).

Quite honestly, I would argue that this isn’t a big deal. Sure, we lose one of the few slide films available to the public. Now we’ve only got Kodak Ektachrome 100, and Velvia 50 left. That part is unfortunate. And I don’t believe that any other brand will be making slide films any time soon. I firmly believe the future of film photography lies with doing something that digital can’t easily do or replicate. That’s why CineStill. KONO! and Lomography really stand out. Kodak said a few years ago that they’re working on trying to resurrect Kodachrome, but that hasn’t happened yet.

But again, you’ll be able to get it in other parts of the world without issue. However, importing it into America might be a bigger issue. I also personally wouldn’t take a risk buying some in the EU and bringing it back here. 

We reviewed the film a few years ago. And in our Fujifilm Velvia 100 review, we said:

“Fujifilm Velvia 100 is a film that is mostly designed for landscape photography. So I wouldn’t really expect someone to take it into a studio though photographers surely have. I don’t think that it makes sense when it comes to skin tones, instead I’d reach for Provia. Fujifilm Velvia 100 has very vibrant colors, but these colors and tones I think are more conventional than Velvia 50s. Where Velvia 50 has some gorgeous yet outrageous tonality, Fujifilm Velvia 100 is more subdued but still punchy. I’d like to think of it as Velvia 50 being like a sweet, tangy orange with a strong taste vs Fujifilm Velvia 100 which is more like an Asian pear–still good but much more subtle. With this being a daylight balanced film, I recommend shooting with it during the day or in daylight and with a tripod if at all possible. When travelling with Fujifilm Velvia 100, always ask them to handcheck it even though they may say that anything under ISO 400 should be just fine.”

Most recently, Fujifilm started pushing Velvia as a portrait photography film. So if you’ve got some, get out there and shoot it. There’s no good reason to hold onto it. Otherwise, buy some on Amazon.

colors epa film fujifilm velvia 100 discontinued slide film velvia velvia 100
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Chris Gampat is the Editor in Chief, Founder, and Publisher of the Phoblographer. He provides oversight to all of the daily tasks, including editorial, administrative, and advertising work. Chris's editorial work includes not only editing and scheduling articles but also writing them himself. He's the author of various product guides, educational pieces, product reviews, and interviews with photographers. He's fascinated by how photographers create, considering the fact that he's legally blind./ HIGHLIGHTS: Chris used to work in Men's lifestyle and tech. He's a veteran technology writer, editor, and reviewer with more than 15 years experience. He's also a Photographer that has had his share of bylines and viral projects like "Secret Order of the Slice." PAST BYLINES: Gear Patrol, PC Mag, Geek.com, Digital Photo Pro, Resource Magazine, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Finance, IGN, PDN, and others. EXPERIENCE: Chris Gampat began working in tech and art journalism both in 2008. He started at PCMag, Magnum Photos, and Geek.com. He founded the Phoblographer in 2009 after working at places like PDN and Photography Bay. He left his day job as the Social Media Content Developer at B&H Photo in the early 2010s. Since then, he's evolved as a publisher using AI ethically, coming up with ethical ways to bring in affiliate income, and preaching the word of diversity in the photo industry. His background and work has spread to non-profits like American Photographic Arts where he's done work to get photographers various benefits. His skills are in SEO, app development, content planning, ethics management, photography, Wordpress, and other things. EDUCATION: Chris graduated Magna Cum Laude from Adelphi University with a degree in Communications in Journalism in 2009. Since then, he's learned and adapted to various things in the fields of social media, SEO, app development, e-commerce development, HTML, etc. FAVORITE SUBJECT TO PHOTOGRAPH: Chris enjoys creating conceptual work that makes people stare at his photos. But he doesn't get to do much of this because of the high demand of photography content. / BEST PHOTOGRAPHY TIP: Don't do it in post-production when you can do it in-camera.