LEICA APO MACRO ELMARIT R 100mm

Review and Photo example the APO MACRO ELMARIT 100mm for Leica R.

Table of contents

Gallery
Impression
Specifications
Reference links

Gallery
Sample photos by LEICA SL (mirrorless digital camera)

Sample photos by LEICA R8 +KODAK GOLD200

Review
The APO MACRO ELMARIT 100mm /F2.8 is one of the most famous Leica R lenses, also known as AME, which stands for APO MACRO ELMARIT.
APO-MACRO-ELMARIT 100mm is a macro lens for Leica R.
It was released in 1986 and 20,000 units were shipped, and there are 3-CAM, R-CAM, and ROM versions, and all types are often seen on the used market.
The lens hood is built-in and can be used by pulling out the hood attached to the tip of the lens. There is no stopper on the hood, giving it the impression that it is loose, but if the lens falls, there is a possibility that there will be less damage if it is not secured, so I think this kind of design is appropriate.
Since it is a macro lens, the focus ring is wide at approximately 40mm, and the helicoid has a rotation angle of approximately 720 degrees, so in a normal individual, precise focusing is possible with the moderate stickiness of the helicoid.
The maximum shooting magnification is 1:2 (0.45m), which is called half macro, and in order to obtain the same magnification (1:1), it is necessary to use a close-up lens called ELPRO that screws into the front of the lens. When this close-up lens ELPRO is attached, the hood cannot be pulled out.

The lens trend of the 2000s was not limited to macro lenses, but in keeping with the digital age, there was a tendency to emphasize resolution, but this lens is unique in its soft depiction, which inherits the lineage of Leica macro lenses.
The real thrill of operating a manual lens is when you turn the wide and smooth focusing ring and look at the focus position in the viewfinder, looking for the spot you want to aim at. It feels so much better than watching the focus go out of focus with an inferior AF lens.
When using a single-lens reflex camera, there may be concerns about focusing accuracy at maximum aperture depending on the viewfinder and the skill of the photographer, but in the digital age where EVFs are available, there should be no problems with focusing as long as you take pictures carefully. . Depending on the model, image stabilization is performed on the body side, so it can be said that we are experiencing a process of camera evolution that would be unimaginable from the film era.
This lens has no protrusion at the rear end of the lens, so I was able to use it with the EOS-1Ds MK III, which is sensitive to lens attachment, without any problems.

Many excellent medium-telephoto macro lenses have been released by companies such as TMRON 90mm, ZEISS 100mm, NIKON 105mm, and others, and are lenses with focal lengths that are difficult to choose for photographers. Personally, one 100mm class macro lens is enough for me, so after I found this lens, I didn’t look anywhere else. Prior to that, I used all three generations of Tamron’s 90mm macros, including the MINOLTA 100 macro.

Specification

Item	AME	Macro Elmar
focal length(mm)	100	←
Maximum aperture	2.8	4
Minimum aperture	22	←
Leaf blade	7	8
Lens configuration	8elements in 6groups	4elements in 3groups
Minimum distance(m)	0.45	0.6
Lens length(mm)	104.5	92
Lens max diameter(mm)	73	67.5
Filter diameter(mm)	55	←
Weight(g)	760	540
Release date	1986	1968
Production number	20,000	16,254