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While ripping up some poor Velvia 50 and Velvia 100F exposures, I noticed the Velvia 100F could not be torn. The best effort in the world could not rip it. I had to resort to sissors to cut it up. The Velvia 50 tears very easily. Does anyone know why the 100F is so tear resistant? I do not recall reading that anywhere. What kind of base is the 100F? Are there disadvantages to the 100F base material?
I guess that the easy-tear velvia 50 have (ordinary) acetat base, and that the Velvia 100 have ESTAR base or polyester base. Kodak have used estar-base (nearly "unrippable") for years for added stability & tear-resistance - mostly on sheet film, 70mm & aero-films. I would imagine that Fuji have something similar, but in addition to thism fuji have a long time experience with coating on polyester base - something the have done all the way back to Fuji Single 8mm movie-film. I have never heard anything negative about using film coated on estar/polyester base - it is supposed to be mechanically better & more uniform in shrinking etc. By the way - I belive kodak have the "ESTAR" name branded, and I am not shure if it's an "ordinary" polyester-base hiding behind that name, or if it's something other synthetic material.
I have heard of problems with polyester base films, but they're irrelevant for large format; things like the film destroying the teeth used to advance it. For sheet films it seems to be generally a win all around.