New: MONOPAN 50 - The New Black-and-White 35mm Film From Leica

To honor a century of 35mm photography, Leica Camera AG is introducing a high-resolution black-and-white film with enhanced spectral sensitivity.

TEANECK, N.J., June 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Leica I transformed photography when it made its debut back in 1925, establishing the 35mm 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 35mm 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 35mm film: MONOPAN 50 black-and-white film, offering 36 exposures.

Honoring 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," "pan," and the number "50." "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.

Leica MONOPAN 50 features an ultra-fine grain, delivering an impressive resolution of up to 280 line pairs per millimeter. With super-panchromatic sensitivity of up to 780nm, it ensures remarkable sharpness and an exceptional tonal range. 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. Back in Barnack's day, most films had low sensitivity. Leica has embraced this historical context in its choice of ISO 50/18°. With high-performance Leica lenses like the Noctilux-M, Summilux-M and Summicron-M, the film's low sensitivity enables wide-aperture shooting, rendering the distinctive Leica bokeh – even in bright lighting conditions. Thanks to its enhanced spectral sensitivity, the new Leica black-and-white film is also ideal for infrared photography, demonstrating exceptional responsiveness to filtration. As such, MONOPAN 50 pairs seamlessly with Leica color filters. This enhances photographs with striking contrast and dramatic aesthetics, granting photographers greater creative freedom in their compositions.

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 35mm photography, while its outstanding specifications encourage photographers to carry forward this legacy by creating impressive images.

Leica MONOPAN 50 will be available worldwide in Leica Stores and through authorized dealers starting August 21st, 2025. The price for the Leica MONOPAN 50 is $10.00.

About Leica Camera
Leica Camera AG is an international, premium manufacturer of cameras, lenses, and sports optics products with a company history stretching back over 150 years. As part of its growth strategy, the company has expanded its portfolio to include mobile imaging (smartphones) and the manufacture of high-quality lenses for glasses and watches, and is also represented in the home theater segment with its own projectors.
The Leica brand stands for excellence in quality, German craftsmanship, and industrial design, combined with innovative technologies. An integral aspect of the brand culture is the promotion of the culture of photography, with around 30 Leica Galleries worldwide.

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SOURCE Leica Camera USA