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ETERNA 500 IN ACTION
Many of our readers said they’d be interested in reading a report on the research and development of our acclaimed new film stock, Eterna 500. Here’s the lowdown.
DEVELOPMENT BACKGROUND
In planning Eterna 500, Fujifilm gathered opinions from numer- ous sources, including camera- men, processing laboratories, post-production studios, and
equipment manufacturers, and con- ducted in-depth studies on the type of performance our customers seek, including their future requirements.
First we conducted a user ques- tionnaire which involved a compari- son of prints using existing motion picture colour negative film, which was undertaken as a field test ahead of product development.
The result revealed an increase in the number of users preferring more natural reproduction of skin tones with more subdued contrast and colour saturation lines than had been valued to date.
Complaints over the granularity of high-speed film were contrasted by evidence demonstrating that few users have problems with the granularity of mid-speed film such as E.I.250 speed.
Exchanges of opinions with users also revealed dissatisfaction with the noise (grain and blurring at the edges of images) that occurs during film scanning for digital processing.
After our research, we decided to introduce a new film incorporat- ing these market requirements which is likely to contribute to increased demand for the motion picture color negative film manufac- tured by our company.
TECHNICAL RESEARCH NEEDED TO ATTAIN THE DESIRED PRODUCT
In developing Eterna 500, the R & D team first investigated the technolo- gies that would be needed to realise the targeted image quality and colour reproduction, and this resulted in the development and application of a new
high-speed silver halide emulsion technology, and new coupler and DIR coupler technologies.
The research and development undertaken by the team led to the successful development of Super Nano-structured
 (sigma) Grain, Super
Efficient DIR Coupler, and
Super Efficient Coupler Technologies, which are the
keys to achieve the desired
high sensitivity, and so the introduction of a new negative film, Eterna 500, became possible.
R&D AND EVALUATION
In the course of developing the Eterna 500 product, evaluations were made from the early stages through actual filming in order to identify tar- gets for improving the reproduction of skin tone, colour, and grey balance, all of which are crucial to achieving images faithful to the original.
To realise tonal balance over the entire range from underexposure to overexposure, the film was tested repeatedly in numerous different light- ing situations, resulting in optimised tonal features and an interlayer effect.
Timely exchanges of opinions with our users were pivotal to the develop- ment process and we made every effort to coordinate our work with their wishes.
The RMS (root mean square) granularity rating was developed by checking periodically the consistency between numerical and projection evaluations, and the resultant improvements verified in the final stages via a survey of users.
In connection with the noise that occurs during film scanning, RMS granularity, MTF (modulation transfer function) and other basic features
were engineered into the indicators for film processing, and the effects confirmed in tests on actual equip- ment in commercial laboratories.
Through repeated testing and feedback on results more time and effort was put into the evaluation process than ever before; results of user tests ahead of the full-scale product launch were perfect and these have given confidence to the market assessment staff.
We look forward to hearing favourable reviews of Eterna 500 from our many users throughout the world. ■
Photos: scenes from Lights 2 demo film production for the new Fujifilm Eterna 500 film stock
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