The Project A WORLD IN COLOR
Magnum Photos, in partnership with Fujifilm and the Médiathèque du Patrimoine et de la Photographie (MPP), has launched “A World in Color” — a historic initiative to digitize the agency’s expansive Paris color library archive. Stored in the Saint-Cyr Fort, this forgotten treasure consists of over 43,000 slide sheets containing approximately 650,000 color slides from the 1950s to the early 2000s. These images, classified by country, theme, and personality, have remained largely unseen for over two decades.
Using the advanced FUJIFILM GFX100 II large-format digital camera, Magnum’s Archive and Production teams are digitizing and indexing these slides with high precision. This process aims to ensure the long-term preservation of these visual records and to make them accessible to the public for the first time, offering a unique glimpse into the evolution of color photography and the agency’s history in the pre-digital era.
To quote Marine Merindol, Chief Operating Officer at Magnum Photos
“This project transforms the archive into a wellspring of opportunity — enhancing its value across press, editorial publications, and cultural partnerships. By uncovering unseen material, we open new doors for storytelling, collaboration, and creative exploration. Our commitment to preserving this unique photographic heritage ensures it remains an invaluable resource, honouring the past while inspiring future generations to learn from and build upon this vibrant visual history.”
Fujifilm’s Mission – Contributing to the World of Photography
“This new collaborative series with Magnum Photos is key to our mission of contributing to the production and history of photography as it develops over the decades. No camera can shoot the past, and our inability to turn back time is central to the human desire to capture moments and memories through photography today. We are excited to be part of this project, which by using our GFX technology to digitize Magnum’s color library archive, we feel that we are helping to record a moment of history before it is lost — both the history of the countries we will be visiting with our FUJIKINA global events, and the history of photography.”
Fujifilm’s Technology
The cutting-edge technology of our GFX100 II enhances the quality and detail of digitized images, ensuring their preservation with remarkable accuracy. This perfectly achieves the goal of capturing and archiving the visual information of the original in its full range.
For this digitization project, the GFX camera system has been transformed into a high-end scanner, meeting the highest standards of digitization. It excels in precise color and tonal reproduction, geometric accuracy, and high resolution while retaining the flexibility of a camera system.
The GFX100 II’s large-format sensor with a resolution of 102MP generates image data with a 16-bit color depth and a dynamic range exceeding 14 stops. This level of precision is essential for preserving all details and ensuring the full integrity of the film material, maintaining the fine gradations in shadows and highlights. The outstanding optical performance and exceptional edge-to-edge resolution of GF lenses further complement the image quality.
Practical Implementation of the Workflow
To quote Pierre Mohamed-Petit, Magnum’s Digital Production Manager, Paris
“To digitize this entire archive, it was important for us to operate efficiently within a very proficient timeline. We are using FUJIFILM GFX100 II simply because we need to quickly process hundreds of thousands of sheets. Using the camera for capture represents a revolutionary approach to mass digitization, and this setup is one of the best available today.”
“A World in Color” is not just about preserving history; it’s about rediscovering and sharing it with the world, honoring the legacy of Magnum Photos and the art of photography. This project demonstrates the powerful capability of FUJIFILM GFX camera systems to faithfully digitize and capture the full informational content of original materials, establishing a new standard for archival management. It showcases the potential of blending technological innovation with historical preservation.
It is a testament to the dedication and passion of everyone involved in making the unseen visible and bringing history to life for future generations.
