If you like your monochrome negatives with plenty of attitude, Rollei Retro 400S is happy to oblige. This is the fast member of the Retro family — the one that sits alongside the slower 80S and Superpan 200 — and it earns its keep with punchy contrast, high sharpness and a personality that leans toward the dramatic rather than the delicate.
Technically, it’s a panchromatic black-and-white negative film rated at ISO 400/27°, which makes it a comfortable choice for handheld shooting in less-than-ideal light. Need a little more? It pushes cleanly to ISO 800/30°, so you can chase dim interiors and late-afternoon shadows without switching stocks. But the party trick here is its extended sensitivity into the near-infrared range, roughly 650–750nm. Pair it with a red or IR filter and you can coax skies into inky drama and foliage into that ghostly, glowing bloom that infrared shooters love — all without committing to a dedicated IR emulsion.
What sets it apart from the crowd is the base. Rollei Retro 400S is coated on a clear polyester base carrying an LE-500 archival rating, meaning it’s designed to survive up to 500 years under proper storage. That polyester carrier is thin, tough and dead-flat, which is a genuine gift for anyone who scans their negatives — no curling, minimal light piping and crisp results across the frame. The trade-off, as with most polyester stocks, is that it’s not friendly to sudden light exposure during loading, so bag changes matter.
Expect a look that’s assertive: strong micro-contrast, tight grain for a 400-speed film, and highlights that hold their edge. This isn’t the emulsion for creamy, low-contrast portraiture. It’s for architecture with bite, street scenes with graphic punch, and landscapes where you want the tonal range stretched taut.
- Type: Panchromatic B&W negative film
- Speed: ISO 400/27°, pushable to ISO 800/30°
- Spectral quirk: Extended infrared sensitivity, 650–750nm
- Base: Clear LE-500 polyester, 500-year archival rating
- Formats: 35mm (36 exposures) and 120 roll
The film is distributed by Maco Direct in Germany, which licenses the Rollei name, and it’s available now. Pricing lands at US$9.49 for a 35mm roll of 36 exposures and US$13.99 for the 120 format — reasonable for a stock that doubles as both a workhorse 400 and an infrared curiosity.
If you’ve been shooting safe, well-behaved black-and-white and want something with a louder voice, Retro 400S is worth a couple of frames. Load it, add a red filter, and let it make a statement.
