Last updated on 2026-03-31
A short report on photographing cherry blossoms with a LEICA S typ007 + SUMMICRON S 100mm F2 ASPH.
- Please see the disclaimer regarding advertising here.
- Italicized links in the text are advertisement links that take you to other sites.
- If you find any images used on this site problematic, please contact us via the comments or inquiry form, either as the rights holder or their representative. We will review the matter and take appropriate action.
The LEICA S typ007 is a digital SLR camera released in 2015, equipped with a 37.5-megapixel medium-format digital sensor. The SUMMICRON S 100mm F2 ASPH. lens is a bright prime lens for the LEICA S series, released in 2014.
The combined weight of the camera and lens is approximately 2.5 kg, which is not particularly heavy for a LEICA S series camera system.
The camera and lens mounted together look like this:
The 100mm focal length of this lens, when used with a LEICA S series camera, translates to an equivalent focal length of 80mm in 35mm film format (calculated using a sensor size conversion factor of 0.8).
The example image below shows a subject approximately 10 meters away, slightly closer than infinity, shot at an aperture of F4.5. Even from the reduced image, the overall resolution is evident. The resolution at the point of focus can be seen in the cropped central section of the right-hand image in the example.
For this shoot, the lens hood was not attached, and in the example image below, the sun is in the upper left corner, but there was almost no problem with flare or ghosting, demonstrating the lens’s high resistance to backlighting. Also, although this depends on the performance of the camera’s sensor, it can adequately handle shooting with high contrast, and can fully express the contrast between highlights and blacks.
The lens has a minimum focusing distance of 0.8m, and the example image below shows the result of shooting at a distance of 0.8m.
Most other 100mm lenses, excluding macro lenses, have a minimum focusing distance of 1m. This lens allows you to get 0.2m closer, making it somewhat suitable for close-up photography. The LEICA S system lacks a macro adapter to assist with close-ups, so a macro lens is necessary for this purpose.
The LEICA S APO MACRO SUMMARIT 120mm F2.5 is a macro lens available for the LEICA S series. This lens has a similar focal length to the SUMMICRON S 100mm and is often compared to it.
I’ve seen reviews on web forums stating that the APO MACRO SUMMARIT 120mm F2.5 is generally easier to use than the SUMMICRON S 100mm, citing three points: the flat and stable image quality characteristic of macro lenses, less chromatic aberration due to the APO design, and better autofocus accuracy. However, personally, I find the SUMMICRON S 100mm’s delicate balance between resolution and softness appealing; it demands ingenuity during shooting, and the resulting images are exciting—its somewhat unruly character is quite desirable.
The weakness of this lens is its slow autofocus speed and somewhat inaccurate focusing. However, the accuracy isn’t a major issue, as fine-tuning of the focus point can be done by interrupting manual focus. Also, because it’s not an APO (Apochromatic) lens, overexposure can cause false colors at the edges of subjects, but this can be avoided to some extent by adjusting the photographer’s exposure.
Reference links
- LEICA S typ007・Shige’s hobby
- LEICA SUMMICRON S 100mm F2・Shige’s hobby
寄付のお願い・Request for donations
Affiliate links
- LEICA・Ads by Amazon
Be First to Comment