Leica Monopan 50 Film ?

[jakontil]

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is it coming up anytime soon? A great news for leica and film community… fingers crossed 

[pedaes]

Where did you see/hear about this? I would guess Leica will not be making it themselves.

[dg4mgr]

Has been reported here: https://leicarumors.com/2025/06/16/coming-soon-leica-monopan-50-the-new-black-and-white-35mm-film-from-leica.aspx/#more-102277

Probably re-badged material also available elsewhere, my guess is: https://www.adox.de/Photo/scala50-en/

[T25UFO]

Maybe coming to coincide with a new limited edition film camera expected this week.

[FrozenInTime]

3 hours ago, dg4mgr said:

Has been reported here: https://leicarumors.com/2025/06/16/coming-soon-leica-monopan-50-the-new-black-and-white-35mm-film-from-leica.aspx/#more-102277

Probably re-badged material also available elsewhere, my guess is: https://www.adox.de/Photo/scala50-en/

looks like a match, given the stated  super panchromatic sensitivity.

[jakontil]

Aaah yes.. a bit too much expecting leica will be making themselves… 

just a rebranding 

[JohnathanLovm]

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Likely rebrand of ADOX HR-50, hopefully there is enough stocks.

[graphlex]

2 hours ago, FrozenInTime said:

looks like a match, given the stated  super panchromatic sensitivity.

Scala is a slide film, which would be an odd B&W choice here.

[FrozenInTime]

52 minutes ago, graphlex said:

Scala is a slide film, which would be an odd B&W choice here.

I read that HR-50 and Scala 50 are one and the same stock; beyond marketing it is down to processing choice.

There is suggestion that this is a slow, high contrast copy film that has been pre-exposed to soften the contrast and lift effective speed for pictorial applications.Leica's suggested use is with fast lenses wide open - i.e. where their contrast is lowest. ( I hope no shutter curtains are burnt out in this endeavour - maybe we get a new MP with Nikon F2 like titanium curtains ... wishing )

I guess Leica could order with custom flashing density and development recommendations to make their product unique ?

Edited June 16 by FrozenInTime

[jakontil]

1 hour ago, FrozenInTime said:

I read that HR-50 and Scala 50 are one and the same stock; beyond marketing it is down to processing choice.

There is suggestion that this is a slow, high contrast copy film that has been pre-exposed to soften the contrast and lift effective speed for pictorial applications.Leica's suggested use is with fast lenses wide open - i.e. where their contrast is lowest. ( I hope no shutter curtains are burnt out in this endeavour - maybe we get a new MP with Nikon F2 like titanium curtains ... wishing )

I guess Leica could order with custom flashing density and development recommendations to make their product unique ?

Yeah, im eager to see what they come up with in suggested development time…

i havent shot with adox since it was recommended to use their chemicals to optimize.. except for their c41 color film which i wasnt fond of

[sometimesmaybe]

im sure this film will finally settle the argument around what constitutes 'that leica look' 

[250swb]

Indeed Scala and HR-50 are the same film with a 50 ISO rating. I use HR-50 a lot, developing it in Adox FX-39, and it's a superb film, very sharp, full tones and a lot of acutance. It is a copy film so has a clear base, but the wrong developer can make it contrasty. With a red or 718nm filter it also has some infrared sensitivity. But unless Leica are badging a 50 ISO film to match something really retro (think) I don't see how it would appeal to many Leica users a) because Leica will shaft you on the price compared to regular HR-50, and b) to get the full quality out of this very sharp fine grain film I think a tripod is needed unless everything is shot wide open, and Leica generally give you around six other f/stops so why waste them?

It could on the other hand be Ilford Pan F, Ilford are a bigger company and already badge film for other companies. However Pan F isn't anywhere close to being as good as HR-50, it is very contrasty and the grain isn't nearly as fine. 

So unless Leica come out with a range of badged film I think this will go down as a marketing stunt and won't last very long. As far as the 'Leica look' is concerned neither film matches the very high silver content of very old films.

Edited June 17 by 250swb

[espelt]

vor 5 Stunden schrieb 250swb:

As far as the 'Leica look' is concerned neither film matches the very high silver content of very old films.

Only Ferrania comes close. Unfortunately, the P30 is only available sporadically, so you have to wait and see what and when you can get one. The newer Ferrania isn't bad either: the Orto. It also has 50 ASA. And it's a real Orto. That would have been much more fitting for the 100th anniversary. Because back then, there was nothing else.

[jakontil]

43 minutes ago, espelt said:

Only Ferrania comes close. Unfortunately, the P30 is only available sporadically, so you have to wait and see what and when you can get one. The newer Ferrania isn't bad either: the Orto. It also has 50 ASA. And it's a real Orto. That would have been much more fitting for the 100th anniversary. Because back then, there was nothing else.

I thought fomapan100 mimicking that leica glow perfectly.. 

now one doesnt need a leica camera to shoot with a leica

jackpot!

[espelt]

vor 11 Minuten schrieb jakontil:

now one doesnt need a leica camera to shoot with a leica

...a small hole in the cardboard box and you can start

 

 

 

[PeterD]

I saw this a few hours ago and assumed it must be some kind of a joke! I can't see a reason for it and the economics surely don't make sense, do they?

Do films this slow make sense theses days? Lens design is so much better than it used to be and so is mass-produced film.

[BernardC]

22 minutes ago, PeterD said:

I saw this a few hours ago and assumed it must be some kind of a joke! I can't see a reason for it and the economics surely don't make sense, do they?

Do films this slow make sense theses days? Lens design is so much better than it used to be and so is mass-produced film.

The economics of starting a new film production line might not make immediate sense, but it's much more likely that they've ordered a batch of film from an existing supplier. The "Made In" label will tell us which one: Ilford (England), Agfa (Belgium), Ferrania (Italy), and so on. This wiki page has a list which may or may not be current.

[Peter49]

So Leica is releasing a new black and white film – "Leica Monopan 50". If you read the article, it’s pretty clear this is based on Agfa’s AviPhot surveillance stock. High contrast, sharp edges, minimal tonal range – exactly what you don’t want for expressive black and white photography.

Who actually needs this? We already have world-class films like Ilford FP4, Delta 100, and especially Kodak TMax 100 – arguably the best black and white film available today in terms of grain, sharpness, and tonality.

So why repackage a surveillance film with a Leica label and sell it with hype about “Monochrom DNA”? It feels more like branding than substance.

I’m all for supporting film, but this looks like another niche emulsion dressed up as a premium product. If anyone has real-world reasons to shoot this over TMax or FP4, I’m curious to hear.

[Martin B]

21 minutes ago, Peter49 said:

Who actually needs this? We already have world-class films like Ilford FP4, Delta 100, and especially Kodak TMax 100 – arguably the best black and white film available today in terms of grain, sharpness, and tonality.

 

Answer: collectors. They might even pay $30 for one roll of this rebranded Leica film. 

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[PeterD]

1 hour ago, BernardC said:

The economics of starting a new film production line might not make immediate sense, but it's much more likely that they've ordered a batch of film from an existing supplier. The "Made In" label will tell us which one: Ilford (England), Agfa (Belgium), Ferrania (Italy), and so on. This wiki page has a list which may or may not be current.

Thanks for that. A very interesting list. I used to like BW400CN if only for ease of developing, but now use Ilford to which I have a sentimental attachment.