Glass Bodies a variant-level encyclopedia of vintage lenses and cameras by iwillpat

Macro-Elmar-R 100mm f/4

Leica · Leica R · 1968

Also known as: Macro-Elmar-R 100mm f/4 · Macro-Elmar-R 100mm f4 · Macro-Elmar-R 100mm f4.0 · Macro-Elmar-R 100 mm f/4 · Macro-Elmar-R 4/100 · Macro-Elmar-R 4/100mm · Macro-Elmar-R 1:4/100 · Macro-Elmar-R 1:4/100mm · Macro Elmar R 100mm f4 · Macro Elmar R 100mm · Macro-Elmar R 100mm · Macro-Elmar-R 100mm · Macro-Elmar 100mm f/4 · Macro-Elmar 100mm f4 · Macro-Elmar 100mm · Macro-Elmar 4/100 · Macro-Elmar 1:4/100 · Macro Elmar 100mm f4 · Makro-Elmar 100mm f4 · Makro-Elmar 100mm · Makro-Elmar-R 100mm · Makro-Elmar 100 mm f/4 · Macro-Elmar 100 mm f/4 · Elmar Macro 100mm f4 · 100mm f4 Macro-Elmar-R · 100mm f/4 Macro-Elmar · Leica 11232 · Leica 11230 · ライカ マクロエルマーR 100mm · マクロエルマー 100mm F4

Variants & identification

Variant Mount Years Serial ranges Production
Bellows head, Series VII filter (11230, to No. 2,933,350) Leica R bayonet, for the Focusing Bellows-R (no focusing mount of its own) 1968 up to 2933350 —
Bellows head, E55 filter (11230, from No. 2,933,351) Leica R bayonet, for the Focusing Bellows-R (no focusing mount of its own) — 2933351 onward —
Focusing mount, 3-cam (11232) Leica R, 3-cam (Leicaflex SL and SL2 and every R body; see notes for the original Leicaflex) 1978 — —
11232 converted to ROM by Leica service Leica R, ROM (R3 and later; not the Leicaflex bodies) — — —
  1. Specifications from Leica's December 1989 handbook, which gives two sets: for the focusing lens 11232, 25°, 4/3, E55 on M 55 × 0.75, f/22, infinity to 60 cm at about 1:3, 90 mm from the flange, 67.5 mm across and 0.540 kg; for the bellows head 11230, 62.5 mm, 68 mm and 0.365 kg. The family figures above are the focusing lens's. Kamerastore gives 540 g and 68 × 90 mm for the 11232 and 365 g for the head, agreeing with Leica; its 0.39 m minimum focus is the handbook's 39 cm free working distance. Apotelyt gives the focusing lens 1.10 m, 68 × 120 mm and 670 g; Cinelenswiki gives it 90 mm and 540 g, as Leica does, but also 1.1 m minimum focus, and gives the bellows head 1.1 m, 120 mm, 670 g and a Series VII thread. The 1.1 m, 120 mm and 670 g figures do not match either Leica figure.
  2. Eight diaphragm blades are reported by Kamerastore and Cinelenswiki, not by a Leica document.
  3. Dates: Flashback Camera and Kamerastore date the bellows head to 1968 and the focusing lens to 1978. One Flashback listing says the focusing lens debuted in 1968, which runs the two together. Cinelenswiki gives 1978–1995 for the focusing lens, and the same 1978–1995 for the bellows head, against the 1968 of the two dealers; no Leica document cited here gives an end date. The lens is in the 1989 handbook and absent from the product pages of the 2000/2001 handbook, which names it only in its ROM conversion table.
  4. Body fit: Leica's 1989 handbook heads the 11232 'for LEICA R models (all modes), LEICAFLEX SL / SL 2 models', without the original Leicaflex. Kamerastore says 3-cam lenses fit all Leicaflex and R bodies. The lens is not on the 1989 handbook's list of lenses that no longer fit the Leicaflex models, nor on the lists of lenses whose rear fouls the Leicaflex and SL mirror quoted on the site's Leicaflex page. This page lists every Leicaflex and R body because the bayonet is the same; the original Leicaflex is the body Leica itself does not name, and a ROM-converted lens fits none of the Leicaflexes.
  5. Close-up: Leica's 1989 handbook gives the MACRO-ADAPTER-R (14256) as the way to about 1:1.6 with the focusing lens on R cameras, and says that on the Leicaflex SL and SL2 the near-focusing ring, 14262, is needed instead; its accessory pages list the 14262 'for the 100 mm MACRO-ELMAR-R f/4' without its ratio. Kamerastore says the lens reaches 1:1.6 with the 14262 tube and that the two were sold together as set 11234; Flashback says 1:1.75 with the 14262. The handbook also lists the ELPRO 3 and 4 (16543, 16544) for the 11232. On the Focusing Bellows-R (16860) the head covers infinity to 1:1.
  6. Kamerastore writes that Leica announced a second, slightly smaller bellows lens, 11270, at Photokina 1992 with the Focusing Bellows-R BR2 (16880), focusing from infinity to 1.1:1 with automatic stop-down. Leica's 2000/2001 handbook describes the BR2 but lists only the Summicron-R 50, Macro-Elmarit-R 60 and APO-Elmarit-R 180 as R lenses for it, and no Macro-Elmar. No 11270 lens appears in the dealer records cited here, so it has no variant row.
  7. Factory: Kamerastore heads its 11232 listing 'Leitz Wetzlar/Canada' and Apotelyt lists the lens as Leitz Wetzlar. None of the sources cited says which lenses were made where, or what a Canadian lens is engraved.
  8. Market prices seen in November 2026, all for used lenses: Kamerastore lists a 3-cam 11232 at €349 and the 11230 head at €199, both out of stock; Leica Store Madrid asked €390 including VAT under the margin scheme for no. 2927561; GearFocus records a 3-cam lens sold for US$335.74 with free US shipping. These are dealer asking prices and one marketplace sale, not auction results. No period list price in DM or dollars is recorded here.
How to tell them apart (expand)
  • Black barrel with a built-in telescopic hood and an E55 filter thread inside it; four elements, f/4 to f/22
  • Two forms: a short head with no focusing ring, for the bellows (11230, which Leica lists as MACRO-ELMAR), and a full lens with its own focusing mount (11232, MACRO-ELMAR-R)
  • Not the APO-Macro-Elmarit-R 100mm f/2.8 of 1987 (E60, 0.45 m on its own), not the Macro-Elmarit-R 60mm f/2.8, and not the Macro-Elmar-M 90mm f/4 for the M rangefinders

Bellows head, Series VII filter (11230, to No. 2,933,350):

  • A short head with no focusing ring at all: only the aperture ring, the built-in telescopic hood and the bayonet
  • Serial number up to 2,933,350
  • Series VII filter held by adapter 14161, on an internal M 54 × 0.75 thread, where later heads take E55
  • Listed by Leica's 1989 and 2000/2001 handbooks as MACRO-ELMAR, without the -R of the focusing lens; the handbooks do not describe the engraving itself

Bellows head, E55 filter (11230, from No. 2,933,351):

  • The same short head with no focusing ring
  • Serial number from 2,933,351 on
  • E55 filter thread, M 55 × 0.75, inside the permanently attached telescopic hood; 65 mm lens cap

Focusing mount, 3-cam (11232):

  • Its own focusing ring, scaled in metres and feet with reproduction ratios, and a non-rotating focusing mount
  • Seen from the back, two sloped Leicaflex cams beside the stepped R-cam, and no gold contacts
  • Lens name and serial on the front of the filter ring on earlier lenses, on the side of the barrel on later ones (Flashback Camera)
  • Built-on telescopic hood and E55 thread; 90 mm from the flange and 67.5 mm across

11232 converted to ROM by Leica service:

  • A row of gold ROM contacts at the back of the mount beside the stepped R-cam, and no sloped Leicaflex cams
  • Order number 11232 and a serial of the ordinary focusing lens, since Leica's 2000/2001 handbook lists no factory ROM version

Serial-range notes

2933350 / 2933351
The change of filter on the bellows head, from Leica's 1989 handbook: Series VII on an M 54 × 0.75 thread up to 2,933,350, E55 from 2,933,351. Leica offered to convert the early heads. The focusing lens took E55 from its launch.
2.92 million range
Flashback Camera dates a 3-cam 11232 with a serial in this range to 1978, the lens's first year; Leica Store Madrid offered no. 2927561. The bellows head's filter change at 2,933,350 falls just after these numbers, which suggests, though no source says so, that the head changed to E55 at about the time the focusing lens appeared.
the seven-digit number on the filter ring or barrel
Focusing lenses in the 2.92 million range sit close to the head's 2,933,350 cut-off, so the serial alone does not say whether a lens is a head or a focusing lens. Look for the focusing ring.

Specifications

Formula
Four elements in three groups for both the bellows head and the focusing-mount lens (Leica 1989 handbook); Flashback Camera says the focusing lens keeps the head's optics
Construction
4 elements / 3 groups
Aperture range
f/4–f/22
Diaphragm blades
8
Min. focus
0.6 m
Dimensions
67.5 × 90 mm
Weight
540 g
Filter
Series VII, held by adapter 14161 (Bellows head, Series VII filter (11230, to No. 2,933,350)) · 55 mm (0.75 mm pitch) (Bellows head, E55 filter (11230, from No. 2,933,351), Focusing mount, 3-cam (11232), 11232 converted to ROM by Leica service)
Years manufactured
1968–1995
Material
Black finish (Leica 1989 handbook)

What reviewers say

No reviews aggregated yet — this family is still in the research queue. Written one? We'd love to index it.

History

The Macro-Elmar 100mm f/4 began in 1968 as a lens with no focusing mount, made to sit on a bellows. Flashback Camera and Kamerastore both give that date. It is a short black head of four elements in three groups, with an aperture ring, a telescopic hood and the reflex bayonet, and nothing else. On the Focusing Bellows-R it covers everything from infinity to life size, a 24 × 36 mm field (Leica 1989 handbook). Leica’s handbooks call the head simply MACRO-ELMAR, order number 11230, and keep the -R for the later lens. Up to serial 2,933,350 the head took Series VII filters in adapter 14161. From 2,933,351 it took E55 filters, and Leica offered to convert the earlier heads. So the number, not the thread, tells you which version a head began as.

In 1978, by Flashback’s account after long-standing requests from R users, Leitz put the same optics in a focusing mount of its own. This is the Macro-Elmar-R, order number 11232. Leica’s 1989 handbook calls it a universal lens of medium focal length. It focuses from infinity to 60 cm, where it reaches about 1:3 with 39 cm between lens and subject. It has a non-rotating focusing mount, a built-on hood and E55 filters, and weighs 540 g. On the R cameras the MACRO-ADAPTER-R takes it to about 1:1.6; on the Leicaflex SL and SL2 the handbook calls for the near-focusing ring 14262 instead. Kamerastore says the lens and ring were sold together as set 11234, and the dealers disagree on the ratio the ring gives (note ⁵). The 1989 handbook also gives the focusing lens a range on the bellows: 1:2.4 to 1.7:1. Flashback says the early lenses carry the name and serial on the front of the filter ring and later ones on the side of the barrel, and that this appears to be the only difference between them. No source gives the serial where it changed.

It is the slow, light member of Leica’s R macro family. The Macro-Elmarit-R 60mm f/2.8 is the short macro, and the APO-Macro-Elmarit-R 100mm f/2.8 of 1987 is faster, apochromatic, and focuses to 1:2 on its own, but weighs 840 g in Leica’s 1989 handbook and 760 g in its 2000/2001 handbook against 540 g. The Macro-Elmar-M 90mm f/4 for the rangefinders is a different lens despite the name. Kamerastore writes that Leica announced a second, smaller bellows lens, 11270, at Photokina 1992 for the new BR2 bellows. Leica’s 2000/2001 handbook describes the BR2 but lists no Macro-Elmar among the R lenses for it, and no 11270 has turned up for sale, so it is noted here and not counted as a version. That handbook no longer lists the 11232 for sale. It names it only as a lens Leica could convert to ROM, after which it loses its Leicaflex cams and fits only the R bodies.

The focusing lens is 3-cam. Leica’s 1989 handbook sells it for every R body and for the Leicaflex SL and SL2, but does not name the original Leicaflex. Kamerastore says 3-cam lenses fit every Leicaflex. When buying, first make sure which form you are looking at: a head with no focusing ring is useful only on a bellows or an extension tube, and sells for less. Kamerastore lists a used head at €199 and a used 11232 at €349, both dealer prices, and Leica Store Madrid asked €390 including VAT for an 11232. On a focusing lens, check the cams or contacts at the back of the mount, and that the telescopic hood slides and stays put. On a head, read the serial against 2,933,350 to know which filters it was made for. No period list price is recorded here.

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This history is AI-written, from the sources listed at the foot of the page. Where the record is silent it says so rather than filling the gap — but no human wrote these sentences.

Example photos

Sample photo wanted — shot with a Macro-Elmar-R 100mm f/4? We'd love to feature it (with credit).

Live listings

Asking price, USD: a median of $400 across 29 fixed-price listings on 2026-11-09 (middle half $330–$490). First day tracked.

Asking prices from the listings scanned, not sales; junk-flagged rows and auction lots excluded; other currencies are not converted.

Show 62 more listings

Listings updated 2026-11-09. Links go to the shop or marketplace that carries the item.

Related: APO-Macro-Elmarit-R 100mm f/2.8 · Macro-Elmarit-R 60mm f/2.8

Sources (12)

Every page here is assembled from public sources, and the gaps are real ones. If you own this lens, know a serial number I'm missing, or can see where I have it wrong, tell me — corrections, serials and sample photos are all worth having.