Comments about Fujifilm Fujifilm Neopan 400 Black & White Film ISO 400, 35mm Size, 100':

I'm starting to love this film. I've been developing it with Tmax Developer, and the combination produces VERY sharp negatives with fine grain. It's replaced Tri-x for me altogether because its as easy and flexible to work with, while giving me less grain and better tonality.

Comments about Fujifilm Fujifilm Neopan 400 Black & White Film ISO 400, 35mm Size, 100':

I started using this film back in college and all that the campus lab had was D-76 so I tried the Kodak old stand by. What I lucked into was a great combo: Fuji Neopan developed with D-76 1:1 is perfect. After that I experimented with other developers but nothing had as much range and as fine of a grain as the D-76. So jump to nearly 15 years later and it's still my B&W film/developer of choice. (Also, something to note is if someone reviews a film and does not specify the developing used, it really doesn't tell you very much.)
This combo film/developer works especially well with flash/strobe, moreso than natural light or soft lighting although these lighting methods are not lacking by any means. It really produces a super contrasty image but with no loss of mid tones. And overexpose to your heart's content--I often shoot at 50-100 ISO (shoot it at 200 in general) with NO decrease in developing times and still don't lose the highlights. And that is one of the great attributes of this film: It will not blow out the highs like TMax or other films so that you seem to end up with an extended range, from super shadow detail all the way to what normally would be blown out highlights with any other film. But somehow the Neopan manages to maintain it all. Just make sure you don't under develop which you may be tempted to do when overexposing. Trust me, this film loves overexposure and development.
Again please note that this review is strictly dependent on developing with D-76 1:1--any other devp. will not yield the results I've outlined above and will tend to be much grainier and less contrasty. I had the chance to speak with the tehnical people at Fuji a few years ago and asked if there was a developer which worked better with Neopan and the rep confirmed what I had already learned and said that the Neopan D-76 1:1 was the way to go. So give it a try and see what you think and let's hope this film lives on despite digital.
(Also, of all the neopan films, the 400 with D-76 1:1 is slighly better overall despite a slight increase in grain over the Acros 100. Sorry, but I tend to hate grain!)

Comments about Fujifilm Fujifilm Neopan 400 Black & White Film ISO 400, 35mm Size, 100':

Try just a few of rolls of this film if you haven't yet--you just may find a favorite as I did. I used to shoot Tri-X 400 as my primary B&W film, but now I shoot Neopan 400 almost exclusively.

The blacks are as dark/dense as anyone could want and the whites glow like super-heated steel. Although the film lends itself to artwork, allowing the photographer to transform the ordinary into something spectacular, it's also good for portraits, nature and general photography.

The grain is quite fine, the mid-tones are good and the film tolerates rather crude processing well (I'm strictly a small-tank D76 guy).

I'm not the most experienced photographer, but I know what I like, just as I'm not a concert pianist but can hear a sour note.

Pick up several rolls. If you shoot TriX or a similar product, this one may take some getting used to. I'd say bracket liberally and shoot a range of different subjects. Give this one a chance and at the least you'll have a potent new tool in your camera bag.

Comments about Fujifilm Fujifilm Neopan 400 Black & White Film ISO 400, 35mm Size, 100':

I started using this a year ago to compare with Tri-X. My expereince so far has been positive. I find I get good shadow detail and a broad tonal range to the highlights. The grain is finer than Tri-X, though still present, allowing for larger prints than I am willing to go to with Tri-X. One's acceptable level of grain is a matter of taste, and subjective, I know. I use a staining developer, and I find that it takes pyro stain well, and doesn't seem to lose as much film speed as Tri-X does in pyro.