Luminous Landscape Forum

Site & Board Matters => Article Discussions => Topic started by: SunshineD on June 20, 2025, 10:39:03 am

Title: Leica's $10 Film: Is Monopan 50 Worth the Premium?
Post by: SunshineD on June 20, 2025, 10:39:03 am
Read the article here: https://luminous-landscape.com/leicas-10-film-is-monopan-50-worth-the-premium/

Is it just a rebranded Adox HR-50, or does it offer real performance gains for the price?

Have you tried either film? What’s your take? Share your thoughts below!
Title: Re: Leica's $10 Film: Is Monopan 50 Worth the Premium?
Post by: StephaneB on June 23, 2025, 10:09:33 am
The film is just Agfa Aviphot 80 repackaged and rebranded, exactly the same stock as Rollei retro 80, Rollei RPX 25, Adox HR-50 and maybe others. An excellent film, yes, but not initially designed for general purpose photography. It has an extended red sensitivity that should be taken into account, very high resolution because it was made for aerial photography and a tendency to get contrasty.

No reason whatsoever to buy the Leica branded if it is more expensive than other rebrandings. Just get the cheapest version and develop it according to the Rollei Retro 80 datasheet as a starting point.

There is nothing Leica-specific in that product and I wish Leica would keep focused on bringing significant self-generated value to the market, not phoney rebrands.
Title: Re: Leica's $10 Film: Is Monopan 50 Worth the Premium?
Post by: John MacLean on June 23, 2025, 10:39:45 am
Rather low res compared to the extinct 400 lp/mm ISO 25 Kodak Technical Pan film souped in Technidol. I only shot and processed a handful of rolls of it back in the mid 1980s, but wow was it sharp.