Leica Monopan 50 Film ?

[TomB_tx]

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1 hour ago, Bliz said:

I don't know what Leica is trying do to saying the m3 isn't recommended but it makes zero sense.

Leica mainly wants to sell new cameras, so that's what they recommend.

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The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[ktmrider2]

ISO 50?  Back in my working days we called a similar Kodak product Panasonic X which was a super fine grain black and white film.  As a photojournalist it was way too slow and TriX (often pushed to ASA1600-3200 and printed on Number 5 or Number 6 paper for things like night sports) was the standard.  If I needed that fine a grain for enlargements, I would move to medium or even large format depending on the subject.

Edited August 16 by ktmrider2

[BWColor]

On 8/14/2025 at 1:49 PM, Coppereye said:

I have 2 rolls of the new film from WexPhotoVideo delivered last Monday.

shame the M3 isn’t a recommended camera.  Why is the film only suitable for certain bodies?  

Someone has a dry sense of humor.

[graphlex]

2 hours ago, ktmrider2 said:

ISO 50?  Back in my working days we called a similar Kodak product Panasonic X which was a super fine grain black and white film.  As a photojournalist it was way too slow and TriX (often pushed to ASA1600-3200 and printed on Number 5 or Number 6 paper for things like night sports) was the standard.  If I needed that fine a grain for enlargements, I would move to medium or even large format depending on the subject.

I used to develop Panatomic-X in Diafine using a film speed of 200.  The negatives printed well enough with a condenser enlarger.  

[ktmrider2]

One of my primary subjects as a newspaper photographer back in the mid 1970’s in rural northeastern Ohio was high school sports.  Often it was football played outside on a Friday evening under the lights of a high school football field.  My equipment was a motor drive Nikon F, the 180f2.8 Nikkor and TriX rated at ASA 1600-3200 (only 1 stop difference).  My exposure was 1/250 at f2.8 and the film was developed in Acufine or Diafine.  

Since I covered about 3 or 4 counties, I would stay at the first game for a quarter, use the second quarter to drive and quickly photograph the second school game, and then drive to third game during half time and use the last half to try and get some fun photos besides the actual game.  Then, I would drive back to the paper, process the film and print 3-6 photos and leave them on the sports editors desk.  The photos were usually printed on Number 5 or 6 paper since they were so underexposed. ISO 200 is fine outside during the day but would not have cut it for night sports.  I usually made it home by 2 or 3 am.  We were an afternoon paper so the deadline was 10am for anything to appear in the newspaper edition.  And the photos were all taken before the invent of auto focus or lighting these sports forums for TV.

God, it was fun.  I was 21 or 22, had taken some time off from college and was living alone for the first time.  I was the only photographer on the staff and the editor wanted to use anything I gave him.  I had a blast but eventually decided photojournalism was not for me.  I returned to Indiana University, finished my degree and ended up as a flight student in the USMC a couple years later.  I quit flying 35 years later but I did carry a Leica with me always.  Today it is a Q3 and MP and a Nikon Zf.

Edited August 19 by ktmrider2

[FilmSpiel]

Hi everyone, wasn't the film's release date supposed to be yesterday?

 

Has anyone gotten a hold of it yet?

I'm looking forward to taking a picture with it.

[rmueller]

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vor 4 Stunden schrieb FilmSpiel:

Hi everyone, wasn't the film's release date supposed to be yesterday?

 

Has anyone gotten a hold of it yet?

I'm looking forward to taking a picture with it.

I got an email from the Leica Store today to pickup the 5 rolls of Monopan50 I ordered few weeks ago. So it seems to be finally there.

Regards,

Ralf

[250swb]

I've been using 'Monopan 50' for a few years now, don't let the box and the high Leica price fool you.

[jakontil]

On 8/19/2025 at 7:12 AM, ktmrider2 said:

One of my primary subjects as a newspaper photographer back in the mid 1970’s in rural northeastern Ohio was high school sports.  Often it was football played outside on a Friday evening under the lights of a high school football field.  My equipment was a motor drive Nikon F, the 180f2.8 Nikkor and TriX rated at ASA 1600-3200 (only 1 stop difference).  My exposure was 1/250 at f2.8 and the film was developed in Acufine or Diafine.  

Since I covered about 3 or 4 counties, I would stay at the first game for a quarter, use the second quarter to drive and quickly photograph the second school game, and then drive to third game during half time and use the last half to try and get some fun photos besides the actual game.  Then, I would drive back to the paper, process the film and print 3-6 photos and leave them on the sports editors desk.  The photos were usually printed on Number 5 or 6 paper since they were so underexposed. ISO 200 is fine outside during the day but would not have cut it for night sports.  I usually made it home by 2 or 3 am.  We were an afternoon paper so the deadline was 10am for anything to appear in the newspaper edition.  And the photos were all taken before the invent of auto focus or lighting these sports forums for TV.

God, it was fun.  I was 21 or 22, had taken some time off from college and was living alone for the first time.  I was the only photographer on the staff and the editor wanted to use anything I gave him.  I had a blast but eventually decided photojournalism was not for me.  I returned to Indiana University, finished my degree and ended up as a flight student in the USMC a couple years later.  I quit flying 35 years later but I did carry a Leica with me always.  Today it is a Q3 and MP and a Nikon Zf.

Interesting.. what were the cameras u carried during your fly time?

On 8/22/2025 at 3:09 AM, 250swb said:

I've been using 'Monopan 50' for a few years now, don't let the box and the high Leica price fool you.

Hi steve, i watched this youtube vid comparing between a HR50 adox with the monopan 50, there’s a slight difference between ‘em when rendering greens especially in leaf and trees.. and the monopan might tend to expose highlights brighter or more sensitive, was interesting comparison but minimal

[250swb]

4 hours ago, jakontil said:

Interesting.. what were the cameras u carried during your fly time?

Hi steve, i watched this youtube vid comparing between a HR50 adox with the monopan 50, there’s a slight difference between ‘em when rendering greens especially in leaf and trees.. and the monopan might tend to expose highlights brighter or more sensitive, was interesting comparison but minimal

HI, but which YouTube video? The film characteristic graphs are the same, as is the ISO. So by a 'slight' difference the video means they aren't the same film and the testing is perfect?

If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and looks like a duck, it's a duck (HR-50 quack, quack). Leica have not started making film, so what is the closest available film stock that does all the things Monopan 50 does? Ilford Pan F certainly isn't as fine grain as HR-50, Ferrania Orto 50 is a funky orthochromatic film, Ilford Ortho Plus (80 ISO) is still an Ortho film, and then after that is.....nothing else.

[jakontil]

5 hours ago, 250swb said:

HI, but which YouTube video? The film characteristic graphs are the same, as is the ISO. So by a 'slight' difference the video means they aren't the same film and the testing is perfect?

If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and looks like a duck, it's a duck (HR-50 quack, quack). Leica have not started making film, so what is the closest available film stock that does all the things Monopan 50 does? Ilford Pan F certainly isn't as fine grain as HR-50, Ferrania Orto 50 is a funky orthochromatic film, Ilford Ortho Plus (80 ISO) is still an Ortho film, and then after that is.....nothing else.

I will try to look back for the vids.. i think petapixles but i might be wrong

yes it is…

 

 

anyway, the tester mentioned they are from the same HR50 but with a final twist probably.. they dont deny it is frm the same company adox HR50 is but there’s this difference how the green color renders and highlights sensitivity work, they test it side by side 

might be interesting

[250swb]

4 hours ago, jakontil said:

I will try to look back for the vids.. i think petapixles but i might be wrong

yes it is…

 

 

anyway, the tester mentioned they are from the same HR50 but with a final twist probably.. they dont deny it is frm the same company adox HR50 is but there’s this difference how the green color renders and highlights sensitivity work, they test it side by side 

might be interesting

Perhaps Adox changed the anti-halation coating to give the film a 'Leica glow'? 😁 

[jakontil]

5 hours ago, 250swb said:

Perhaps Adox changed the anti-halation coating to give the film a 'Leica glow'? 😁 

But u see it right? 🤣🤣🤣

but not everyone will.. i mean mostly will not bother

i have been shooting mostly with ilford and some kodak tmax or trix when on sale nearing expiry date in bulk rolls or anything that’s available at a good deal

this difference will probably stay in my head while trying to unsee it

[swatch]

If setting exposure index at 40 for ADOX HR 50, I would think the image look quite similar to Monsanto 50.

 

[ktmrider2]

I always had a Leica with me since 1975.  I owned since new the M4-2, M4-P, M6 and M6TTL.  I have also owned the M5, M4, M3, M2 and CL.  And I purchased a new MP two and a half years ago.  My favorite is the M2.  Leica just got something right about that camera.

I usually owned a Nikon SLR (hard to beat the original Nikon F although I had the F2 and F3).  And for awhile I used a Contax for the Zeiss lenses and a 500CM Blad but photography using it from the cockpit was difficult with the waste level finder.  They were all good but the Leica rangefinder is still my favorite.

Current lineup is a black paint MP with 21/35/50/90/135 M-mount lenses, a Q3 and a Nikon Zf for bird and animal photography here in Alaska.

[PeterD]

I have been trying to get hold of some for weeks. I was promised some for late August, but it didn't arrive. Spoke to my dealer and he said all he had been told was "Octcober". I contacted Red Dot who said that they had said some, but that it had all gone very quickly and they weren't expecting any more until October either.

I don't know what this was/is about the M3. I had mentally set aside one roll to put through my IIIf as well as the one)s) through the M3. I was very much seeing how the film worked in a classic Leica with classic glass.

 

[PeterD]

Well, it's now October, so I am waiting...

[frame-it]

5 minutes ago, PeterD said:

Well, it's now October, so I am waiting...

the original film is available, Leica prolly ran out of boxes and labels to print 

 

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[Rupert Greenwell]

I just had 4 rolls delivered yesterday from Ffordes.

[Bliz]

44 minutes ago, frame-it said:

the original film is available

This. If it's a matter of collecting the boxes and rolls i get it, but to try monopan one just have to buy some adox hr-50.