Leica describes their 35mm film as ultra-fine-grained, super-panchromatic, suitable for shooting wide-open in daylight with “Noctilux-M, Summilux-M, or Summicron-M lenses.”
There’s no release date.
Despite being addressed as “genuine” in the release, the likelihood of Leica secretly owning a film factory is low. Leica has previously rebranded Fujifilm Instax film for their Sofort cameras.
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The internet is already sharing jokes about the film costing $40/roll. Leica is no stranger to using the power of its brand to charge more for third-party products.
However, film rebrands aren’t as simple as slapping a label on a canister; there’s a lot Leica could do to make their emulsion unique (see analog.cafe/r/who-made-you…). And it’s one more powerful voice promoting film photography.
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This page counts all the major photographic brands and makes sold today: analog.cafe/app/all-film. It shows 270. I’m now waiting for it, impatiently, to change. Maybe it’ll turn 275 this year. Or more?
Sounds plausible! Although one can’t tell for sure until either the brand reveals the source or there are good one-to-one comparisons between those films.
Looks like I may be visiting a Leica store for the first time this summer!
The new black-and-white ISO 50 Leica MONOPAN will be available starting August 21st. Once on sale, it should cost £10/€12/$10/$14? CAD per roll.
Many sources, including websites like DPReview, agree with you, @ellabomga: this may be white-labelled Adox HR-50. Both Leica’s and Adox films are made in Germany, both are ISO 50, and both are super panchromatic (meaning, the film can be shot with an infrared filter to get a special effect). Leica’s website has a few examples that show glowing foliage: leica-camera.com/en-int/ph….
Despite costing more than the presumable HR-50, Leica’s new film may have better availability than the Adox’ offering that B&H lists as discontinued (I don’t think any brick-and-mortar stores in Canada sell it). So, if it’s the same film, Adox may be getting a few more sales; in fact, I’m sure that the HR-50 is getting more attention now than in a long while.
Of course, Leica’s film will have LEICA spelled on the borders, which may mean something.
Another thing about this film is that it would be **Leica’s first 35mm film product,** which I find very interesting: the company waited 100 years to offer 35mm film even though they pioneered the 135 film format for the industry!
Dmitri Jun 16, ‘25
Dmitri Jun 16, ‘25
ellabomga Jun 18, ‘25
Dmitri Jun 18, ‘25
Dmitri Jun 18, ‘25, edited on Jun 18, ‘25