Is Velvia a Photoshop plug-in?

I've had fairly extensive dialogue with a photographer who's first SLR is the K10D. He was asking me about the color and look of a few of my photos using the 31mm lens. I made a reference to liking the lens, as it produced colors having the look of Velvia. He replied asking if Velvia was a plug-in, which got me thinking that many digital SLR users have never shot with film, and consequently have no basis to compare the color and contrast from cameras like the K10D and the beautiful images us old-timers produced with slide film like Fuji Velvia.

With this in mind, I've posted some photos I shot a few years ago in Sayulita, Mexico with my 40 year old Leica M4, the wonderful 35mm Summicron lens and Fuji Velvia 100 (ISO speed).

While the benefits of digital far outweigh what we were able to accomplish with film, there's no denying that film such as Velvia produces images with a look and feel that's very hard to replicate by our sensors today. Although I only take my M4 out once or twice a year to run some Velvia through it, I still enjoy the images this film produces. I'd suggest that anyone who's never shot with film, make a point to borrow a film camera and shoot a few roles of Velvia just for the experience. At the very least, you'll be able to say those scanned files are really Velvia, and not the plug-in effect (smile).

Happy Holidays and Best Wishes for the New Year.