Ten bucks for a roll of 36 shots, huh? Not bad, Leica. A hell of a lot more affordable than your cameras, which are, admittedly, excellent. The Porsches of the camera world.
For the 100-year anniversary of the Leica I 35mm camera, the German camera maker is launching the first Leica-brand 35mm film, titled Monopan 50 and made in Germany. Don’t remember the Leica I? Well, that’s probably because you’re not 100, and even if you were, why would a months-old baby be interested in photography, even during the Roaring Twenties?
Leica Monopan 50 won’t be sold widely. There are only a few places in the US to get it. Here’s where to look if you want to buy a piece of camera history.
an old look for new people
As Leica puts it, the low sensitivity (50 ISO) of Monopan 50 is meant to emulate the type of 35mm film common back in 1925 when the Leica I was released, and it enables “wide-aperture shooting, rendering the distinctive Leica bokeh—even in bright lighting conditions.”
Monopan 50 is a ultra-fine-grain, monochrome (black and white) film with a resolution of up to 280 line pairs per millimeter and a panchromatic sensitivity of up to 780nm.
B&H Photo Video, which has 36-shot rolls of Monopan 50 available for $10, also has sample photographs shot on the Leica film, in case you were wondering what it looks like once it’s developed. Scroll down to below the product info to see them.
There are four package designs, all beautifully retro. But no, you can’t pick out which you want when you place your order. At least if you go into a physical store, you can do so. I foresee a day when boxes of the stuff are worth a pretty penny.
You’re looking at late-21st-century thrift store fuel right here, folks.
The post Leica Finally Started Selling 35mm Film. Here’s Where To Find It. appeared first on VICE.
