Leica has announced the release of its first branded film as part of its 100th anniversary celebrations.
The film is called Monopan 50 and is a 50-SO black-and-white film Leica says has “enhanced spectral sensitivity.”
In a press release announcing the new film, Leica said: “The Leica I transformed photography when it made its debut back in 1925, establishing the 35 mm format as the new industry standard. The compact format swiftly gained traction with retailers and photographers commonly referring to it simply as “Leica film”, even though the 35 mm film packs used with the Leica I originated from manufacturers like Kodak, Agfa or Perutz.
“To celebrate the Leica I’s centenary and pay homage to 35 mm photography, Leica Camera AG is unveiling its first true Leica 35 mm film: Monopan 50 black-and-white film, offering 36 exposures.
“To honour the origins of 35mm photography and its distinctive aesthetic, Leica is introducing its high- resolution Monopan 50 film, featuring an extended spectral range. The name Monopan 50 is derived from its components. ‘Mono’ refers to Leica’s renowned Monochrom series, a line of digital black-and-white cameras first introduced in 2012. ‘Pan’ denotes the film’s outstanding panchromatic properties, while the number ’50’ represents its ISO rating.”
The company said the film has a resolving power of up to 280 line pairs per millimetre, and a superpanchromatic sensitivity of up to 780nm, making it suitable for infra-red photography.
It added: “The film encapsulates Oskar Barnack’s vision of ‘small negative – big picture’, the very principle that gave rise to the original Leica. With its refined specifications, the black-and-white film is perfectly suited to Leica lenses, showcasing their remarkable optical performance, particularly in high-end large-format prints and detailed scans.”
Leica said it chose the 50-ISO speed because most films produced at the time of Barnack’s first Leica camera had lower sensitivity than those available today.
Leica said the low ISO meant the film could be used with fast lenses such the Noctilux-M and Summilux-M even in bright conditions.
Leica did not indicate whether the film was a completely new emulsion, but said: “Produced in Germany, Monopan 50 is particularly perfect for landscape, architectural, cityscape and travel photography. The film is compatible with all black-and-white developers. It guarantees complete control over black-and-white photography, ensuring the highest degree of detail. Its vintage-style packaging evokes the pioneering era of 35 mm photography, while its outstanding specifications encourage photographers to carry forward this legacy by creating impressive images.”
The film will be available from Leica Stores across the world and other retailers from 21 August 2025. It will have a suggested retail price of £10/€12 a roll.
I'm a New Zealander who has been living in London since the mid-1990s, shooting film seriously since the year 2000. Kosmo Foto was launched in 2012 and has since become a film brand, with the release of my first films Kosmo Foto Mono 35mm (2017) and Kosmo Foto Mono 120 (2019).
I’m doing everything I can to promote film photography in the 21st Century, and help it survive and thrive. If you want to write something for Kosmo Foto, please drop me a line at foto.dowling@gmail.com.
Until I got to the end of the article, I was expecting a price of £120 per roll!
Nothing new here, just another rebranded film at an inflated price. Buy Adox HR50 it the same thing.