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The Best Leica Lenses for Black and White Film Photography

Chris Gampat
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05/24/2021
3 Mins read
Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Leica 35mm f2 review product images 4

Black and white film lovers rejoice!

Film has to be one of the most fun photography experiences we have! Some of us just want to create in a completely different way. Indeed, film does a lot of things that digital doesn’t. When used properly, it will ultimately make you think more about your photos before shooting. You’ll pay a lot of attention to the frame before you shoot. And eventually, you’ll become a master of the format. If you’re looking for the best Leica lenses for black and white film photography, check out our selects.

Editor’s Note: This blog post is presented by Leica. Leica M mount lenses have a long history. And they’ll work on both vintage and new cameras alike. The spirit of all this is present in the Leica Q2 Monochrom.

Kodak T-Max P3200: Leica 50mm f1.4 Summilux ASPH

How They Develop: The high-speed Kodak T-Max P3200 is a fantastic option for Summilux lovers. Specifically, we’ve used the Leica 50mm f1.4 Summilux with this film. P3200 is actually an ISO 800 film that’s designed to be pushed to ISO 3200. This means that you’re bound to need a fast aperture lens. And the Leica 50mm f1.4 Summilux offers the right balance of sharpness, 3D pop, and overall weight with a film camera. We enjoyed it, and think you will too! That fine T-grain will blend right in with the bokeh.

This lens is one of the most versatile options around, and we’re confident it’s one of the best Leica lenses for black and white film photography. If you’re shooting during the day, you can just stop the lens down. If you’re shooting at night, then open it up fully. If you’re at a consistent ISO 800 on the roll of film, there isn’t anything the 50mm f1.4 Summilux won’t be able to handle.

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Kodak Tri-X 400: Leica 28mm f5.6 Summaron

How They Develop: The Leica 28mm f5.6 Summaron is based on a vintage design. To that end, we think it’s perfect for the classic look of Kodak Tri-X 400. Tri-X basically does this thing that looks like you shot a black and white photo and used the clarity slider. And it’s also been responsible for many of the world’s most iconic images. So, if you’re going for that more authentic, photojournalism experience, reach for the 28mm f5.6. It’s surely one of the best Leica lenses for black and white film photography.

The small size, weight, and aperture make it perfect for street photography. With summer coming up, we encourage you to pick one up and throw it on your camera. This lens’s rendering is more vintage than super sharp. So when paired with Tri-X, you’ll get a much more grungy feel to it.

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Kodak Tri-X 400

Pro Tip: The 28mm lens is nearly perfect for street photography. If you’re stopped down and focused a few feet away, you’ll be all set. The way that most zone focusing works lets this lens get subjects in focus. As an extra tip, keep your camera in your hand at all times. When someone is close enough to you, just shoot. You don’t even need to put the viewfinder to your face. Shooting from the hip is such a fun and great method. But you should really do this after you understand what the 28mm focal length will give you.

Fujifilm Acros 100: Leica 35mm f2 Summicron ASPH

How They Develop: The cool thing about Acros 100 is that it’s been reformulated in the past few years. To that end, it’s a sharper film than the original was. Such a lens like the Leica 35mm f2 Summicron might be perfect for it. Think of it this way: it’s an ISO 100 film. And according to Sunny 16 rules, you’ll basically shoot at f16 and 1/125th in bright sunlight. That’s perfect for not missing a moment with street photography! But as the day wanes, you can open the lens up to f2 and take advantage! The bokeh from this lens is very beautiful.

Best of all, the Leica 35mm f2 Summicron is probably the best Leica lens for black and white film photography, ergonomically speaking. Attach it to a camera, and it will feel like a perfect companion to the camera. The overall package will be much smaller than most of what’s on the market. And the image quality will speak for itself.

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Image by Bezalel Ben-Chaim and used with Creative Commons Permission.

28mm f5.6 35mm f2 50mm f1.4 black and white film photography fujifilm kodak leica leica lenses leica lenses for black and white film photography leica lenses for blakc and white
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Chris Gampat is the Editor in Chief, Founder, and Publisher of the Phoblographer. He provides oversight to all of the daily tasks, including editorial, administrative, and advertising work. Chris's editorial work includes not only editing and scheduling articles but also writing them himself. He's the author of various product guides, educational pieces, product reviews, and interviews with photographers. He's fascinated by how photographers create, considering the fact that he's legally blind./ HIGHLIGHTS: Chris used to work in Men's lifestyle and tech. He's a veteran technology writer, editor, and reviewer with more than 15 years experience. He's also a Photographer that has had his share of bylines and viral projects like "Secret Order of the Slice." PAST BYLINES: Gear Patrol, PC Mag, Geek.com, Digital Photo Pro, Resource Magazine, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Finance, IGN, PDN, and others. EXPERIENCE: Chris Gampat began working in tech and art journalism both in 2008. He started at PCMag, Magnum Photos, and Geek.com. He founded the Phoblographer in 2009 after working at places like PDN and Photography Bay. He left his day job as the Social Media Content Developer at B&H Photo in the early 2010s. Since then, he's evolved as a publisher using AI ethically, coming up with ethical ways to bring in affiliate income, and preaching the word of diversity in the photo industry. His background and work has spread to non-profits like American Photographic Arts where he's done work to get photographers various benefits. His skills are in SEO, app development, content planning, ethics management, photography, Wordpress, and other things. EDUCATION: Chris graduated Magna Cum Laude from Adelphi University with a degree in Communications in Journalism in 2009. Since then, he's learned and adapted to various things in the fields of social media, SEO, app development, e-commerce development, HTML, etc. FAVORITE SUBJECT TO PHOTOGRAPH: Chris enjoys creating conceptual work that makes people stare at his photos. But he doesn't get to do much of this because of the high demand of photography content. / BEST PHOTOGRAPHY TIP: Don't do it in post-production when you can do it in-camera.