I find it interesting that while this film was born out of a specific technical problem, nowadays it still satisfies a very specific technicality albeit a very different one.
At the time, B&W chemicals were not as readily available as the C-41 process used with colour negatives: thus the original purpose of the black and white film Fuji Neopan 400 CN was to be processed with C-41. Nowadays all film is niche – not just B&W – and C-41 is just as common as B&W: therefore the original need has expired. Yet a new one is created, since ICE cannot work with normal B&W emulsions (ICE is the dust removal system of several film scanners) due to the different reflective characteristics of the silver present in conventional B&W films. Neopan 400 CN can be easily scanned with the ICE dust-removal activated. In June 2012 I took a few pictures in Nice while I was in between trains, all with a Nikon FM2n, a Nikkor AI-S 50/1.2 and Neopan 400CN. Here are a few samples, scanned with a Nikon Coolscan 9000.
![The luck of living right above a sex shop...](http://shade-of-light.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/no-taboo-244x300.jpg)
![The typical urban residential architecture of the South of France (Nice) mixes with entertainment venues (a pub sign)](http://shade-of-light.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/pub-with-view-nice-france-300x199.jpg)
![The area around the train station is full of hotels. Rue de Belgique is no exception. The signs of the hotel Capri and a Karlsbrau bar are readable. The sunny day shows the typical architecture of the area](http://shade-of-light.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/rue-de-belgique-300x199.jpg)
![The sign of a sex shop in Nice, France, with some apartment flats above](http://shade-of-light.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/sex-nice-203x300.jpg)
![Several small shops mix with residential dwellings in this area around the railways station. Visible: sex shops, pharmacy, groceries', together with two "Sold" signs](http://shade-of-light.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/small-shops-in-france-300x198.jpg)
![View of an elegant building in Nice, France; summer 2012](http://shade-of-light.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/typical-architecture-of-south-of-france-with-palm-220x300.jpg)