Fujifilm Neopan 400 Black and White Film
Fujifilm Neopan 400 Black and White Film
USER REVIEWS
[Jul 22, 2011]
Russ
Professional
Strength:
Weakness:
Customer Service Never needed it. Similar Products Used: Tri-X, HP-5, etc. |
[Nov 04, 2005]
truck
Intermediate
Strength:
hmmm... as i said its not bad but fuji has better
Weakness:
a lot... could have been wrongly developped, i dont know used it only once, but i don't think i'll do it again. it's nothing bad, or anything it's just that i exoected something better. could have been sharper, less grainy and more contrasty. (maybe developping was screwed up) ill stick with ilford. |
[Sep 18, 2005]
NickTrop
Intermediate
Strength:
Put away your critical grain focuser if using 120 version. This stuff is almost grainless. Sharp! Rich blacks. Black is black, not dark grey. A unique aesthetic. A little cheaper than other name-brands in 120. Good value. Good latitude... Laugh if you will, but this has a better spool "technology" than Iflord or Kodak 120s that my camera seems to like (more even frame spacing...)
Weakness:
Has a Tri-X-y look that might not be suited to all subjects... This is a "cold" film that might not be to everyone's preference. Negatives might be a little more prone to scratches, so be gentle with them. HP5 might have a slightly better tonal range Very sharp film that gives dark, rich blacks and has a steeley coldness to it - a good thing. Grain is practically non-existent in medium format. Looks a bit like Tri-X, sans the grain, but has a look all of its own. Customer Service Freestyle is terrific - as is J and C both are terrific retailers for all things black and white, wet process. Similar Products Used: HP5 |
[Jul 27, 2004]
ugi
Intermediate
Strength:
sharpness exposure latitude strong blacks PRICE
Weakness:
not all pro shops stock it This has quickly become my favorite black and white film. It really hits on all cylinders - sharpness, nice tonality, very forgiving, and a very affordable price. I think of Neopan as having a very 'modern' look -- very black blacks and razor sharp. It is a contrast to, say, Ilford HP5 Plus, which has a more classical, creamy look to it. Similar Products Used: Ilford Delta 100 and 400, HP5 Plus, Kodak T-Max 100 and 400, Tri-X, Plus-X, Fuji Acros 100 |
[Aug 08, 2003]
Andreas Genz
Expert
Strength:
gray-tones, price, always on stock in Berlin
Weakness:
none I am using this film since more than 5 years. It is my favortie black and white film. The gray-tones are simular to Tri X, but the Neopan is sharper.I tried T Max but did not like the gray scale. I develop the Neopan in X Tol 1+1 and got very stable resuts over the years. Customer Service not used Similar Products Used: Tri X, T Max |
[Jan 21, 2002]
tzorpedo
Expert
Strength:
Cheap, Suprisingly fine grain, Extremely good accutance (sharpness), Overall subjective satisfaction, Relatively easy to find here in Spain (not in 1hour lab shops, for sure...)
Weakness:
Average to low contrast? In my research for a personal standard 400 film (see similar products used section), Neopan 400 is the clear winner because the following reasons: * Although Tri-X is able to handle almost every need (it can show fine or visible grain depending on exposure and processing, very forgiving with rude processing, contrast can be also controlled during processing but it costs grain), I find Neopan 400 to be more predictable with an overall much more finer grain. With Tri-X you should be in a low-contrast situation and move between Zone I-III to achive similiar results. * Very satisfying pulled use (EI 200, reduced processing, Zone I-IV range exposure). Beats all competitors. Results stand on front ISO/100 standards in terms of grain (may be surprisingly but true) and even ISO/50 in terms of sharness. Contrast, for sure, is reduced in front of let''s say PanF+, but as I use a condenser enlarger and multigrade paper, it is not a big constrain (Grade 2.5 or 3 filters solves the problem most of the times). * EI 400 exposure gives very good overall results with finer grain than competitors. * I do not like grain structure from T-Max 400 (ugly to my taste) * HP-5 is also an overall good performer but surpassed by Neopan in almost every aspect, specially grain perception. Useful data... I shot 35mm, develop in Xtol (1+1), condenser enlarger and primarly to 8x10'''' size range. I am specially concerned about grain and sharpness because of the format size. I find easy to control contrast range during enlargement (use multigrade paper). As a result, my personal standards have become Ilford PanF+ if possible (low contrast scene, tripod, finest grain), Neopan 400 (EI 200 or 400 for hanheld shooting), pushed Tri-X for nice and visible grain (not very often needed). At least you have to give a try to this film. One more time, thanks Fuji! Customer Service Not needed. Data sheets available for download... Good! Similar Products Used: Kodak Tri-X, T-Max 400, Ilford HP-5 Plus |
[Oct 04, 2001]
Brett
Intermediate
Strength:
Good and contrasty, even when printed on color paper, for the budget minded among us.
Weakness:
None I am very pleased with this film! Not only was the price moderate, but when I had the prints made onto *color* paper so as to save money (alas no darkroom of my own), they came out so well that the store owner came out to tell me that he had kept the film''s spool, so he would remember to try some for himself! Customer Service n/a Similar Products Used: Tri-X for b&w and some delta. Also plenty of color slide from Fuji and Kodak. |
[Aug 07, 2000]
Scott Ullman
Intermediate
Strength:
Neopan 400 has the finest grain of any ISO 400 black & white film that I've used, including the tabular grain films. Even when pushed to ISO 800, the grain is still finer than Tri-X shot at ISO 400. This film has high contrast at ISO 400 and 800, but it is still able to capture shadow detail.
Weakness:
The quality is too high and it's too good a value... This is now my standard ISO 400 black & white film, replacing Tri-X, which I started out with mostly because of the Kodak name. Customer Service N/A Similar Products Used: Tri-X, T-Max 400, Delta 400, APX 400 |
[May 22, 2000]
Chris Groenhout
Professional
Model Reviewed:
Neopan 400
Strength:
Holds its film speed well. Easy to expose and develop. Beautiful grain.
Weakness:
Not very easy to obtain. This is a highly underrated and quite wonderful film. It is everything you want in a film - speed, tonality, consistency and nice grain. On the subject of grain - it's perfect - fine yet defined! (sorry for sounding like a wine writer) Try this film in standard developers such as ID11 or D76 or Pyro Gallol for super-sharp results! Similar Products Used: Tri-X, HP5, APX400, TMax |
[Apr 01, 2000]
Chris Butler
Intermediate
Model Reviewed:
Neopan 400
Strength:
Fine grain, good tonality, good exposure latitude.
Weakness:
Availability is spotty... I've only processed Neopan 400 in 1:2 D-76, but am very impressed. Printed on MultiGrade RC IV with a #3 filter, it produces very nice portraits. Similar Products Used: None |