Elmar: Leica M EV1 – Next Level M?

[Lorenzo Ceva Valla]

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Of course this can be a solution but in most cases it will cause the loss of the moment as it will slow down and if the correct exposure need  an f11 or f16 when you open the iris to focus you will have an ultra over exposed image in the viewfinder which won't allow to evaluate sharpness!

I have the same problem when I use my M lenses on my SONY!

[SrMi]

1 hour ago, jaapv said:

Focus first and then stop down? 

+1

1 hour ago, jaapv said:

Having said that, digital zoom is effective even at smaller apertures. 

I guess you mean magnification instead of digital zoom. It depends on the focal length. With wide-angle lenses, even wide open, it can be tricky to focus correctly.

[jaapv]

Yes I agree. I do use it on the Summilux M 24 wide open on the SL2S and that is very handy. If truth be told I find it hard to get critical focus on M lenses on an EVF without magnification 

[rob_w]

Love the pics -- great work -- and the analysis is right on the money too!  Thanks Elmars.

[elmars]

vor 5 Stunden schrieb Lorenzo Ceva Valla:

In the MEV1 as M lenses always stop down how is to focus a lens stopped down to 11 or 16?

I've never tried that. Aperture 4 works well at 35 mm; aperture 5.6 requires a little bit of concentration but it still works good.

[jaapv]

7 hours ago, Lorenzo Ceva Valla said:

Of course this can be a solution but in most cases it will cause the loss of the moment as it will slow down and if the correct exposure need  an f11 or f16 when you open the iris to focus you will have an ultra over exposed image in the viewfinder which won't allow to evaluate sharpness!

I have the same problem when I use my M lenses on my SONY!

Aperture priority?

[welspass]

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Vorwort gemäss H.D. Hübsch: "der Niederrheiner weiss nichts, kann aber alles erklären". Spass beiseite, ein sehr informativer und von daher gelungener Beitrag. Hier nun meine persönliche Meinung zu neuen Edition der "M". Wenig, bis kaum innovativ, eigentlich wurde der Messsucher  nur durch den Visoflex 2 mit höherer Auflösung intern ersetzt, alles andere ist gleich geblieben. Innovativ in speziellen Sinne ist die Aufgabe des Alleinstellungsmerkmal der Leica M, dem Messsucherprinzip. Verglichen mit der Q3, die ein Summiluxobjektiv mit Makrooption, Autofocus, IBIS, einen noch besseren EVF und die Videofähigkeit hat, ist der Preisunterschied für die Leica M EVF1 von 1800 CHF nur für den Bajonettanschluss doch sehr teuer erkauft. Mit einer Sensorauflösung von 60MP relativiert sich die Wechseloptik ohnehin in gewissem Masse. Um es kurz zu machen: das präsentierte Modell ist wohl mehr ein Schnellschuss, um die verbleibende Zeit bis zur M12 zu überbrücken. Und dann sollte Leica dann mit einer wirklichen Innovation aufwarten.

Edited 21 hours ago by welspass
typos

[rfunnell]

Nice analysis and wonderful images thanks Elmar .

Being born in 1954 and eyes not quite what they were I'm going to give it a try.  

I love the idea of not having to clean the viewfinder window as well.

 

[elmars]

vor 10 Minuten schrieb rfunnell:

Nice analysis and wonderful images thanks Elmar .

Being born in 1954 and eyes not quite what they were I'm going to give it a try.  

I love the idea of not having to clean the viewfinder window as well.

 

Thank You for liking my images. Photos are the most important thing, far more important than cameras.

Second most important is the problem of cleaning the viewfinder window it seems. 😃 I read about this three times in the last days. 

[welspass]

Foreword according to H.D. Hüsch: ‘The Lower Rhine native knows nothing, but can explain everything.’ Joking aside, this is a very informative and therefore successful contribution. Here is my personal opinion on the new edition of the ‘M’. Little to no innovation; in fact, the rangefinder was only replaced internally by the Visoflex 2 with higher resolution, everything else has remained the same. What is innovative in a special sense is the abandonment of the Leica M's unique selling point, the rangefinder principle. Compared to the Q3, which has a Summilux lens with macro option, autofocus, IBIS, an even better EVF and video capability, the price difference for the Leica M EVF1 of CHF 1,800 just for the bayonet mount is very expensive. With a sensor resolution of 60MP, the interchangeable lens becomes relative to a certain extent anyway. To put it briefly: the model presented is probably more of a quick fix to bridge the remaining time until the M12. And then Leica should come up with a real innovation.

 

[maxpower]

1 hour ago, elmars said:

Second most important is the problem of cleaning the viewfinder window it seems. 😃 I read about this three times in the last days. 

Ha! I do have to clean it regularly as well, but I'm not sure the EV1 will be much better.. during the launch at my local store they kept having to clean the EV1 viewer/"eyecup" from peoples greasy faces (mine included.)

[algrove]

Priced too high for me.

[Stef63]

4 hours ago, welspass said:

 

 Little to no innovation; in fact, the rangefinder was only replaced internally by the Visoflex 2 with higher resolution, everything else has remained the same. 

 

M11M = M11 with the Bayer filter removed
M11D = M11 with the back screen removed
M-EV1 = M11 with the rangefinder removed and a Visoflex added

There’s a pattern here, isn’t there?

It’s not really about innovation — it’s about using the same platform and aiming at slightly different audiences. Despite all the rumors and expectations of what the EV1 should be, what we got is pretty much what could be expected.

If we’re hoping for something truly innovative, we’ll indeed probably have to wait for the M12. And even then… don’t expect too much. Leica rarely does something technologically very advanced, but they do make bold moves — the Monochrom, the MxxD versions, the Q, the S — all clear examples of that.

 

Edited 16 hours ago by Stef63

[Robert Blanko]

Am 23.10.2025 um 23:20 schrieb elmars:

It's more my neck that has suffered. Thank you for your sympathy.

Thank you Elmar for your honesty and your nicely composed photos! 

Reading between the lines and judging from your photos, what is the moral of the tale? i) Better have an M11 with Visoflex in your bag as backup to treat your neck with care and ii) the M11 does not seem to be the king of street photography but rather the king of still-life photography? 🤔

[IkarusJohn]

4 hours ago, Stef63 said:

M11M = M11 with the Bayer filter removed
M11D = M11 with the back screen removed
M-EV1 = M11 with the rangefinder removed and a Visoflex added

There’s a pattern here, isn’t there?

It’s not really about innovation — it’s about using the same platform and aiming at slightly different audiences. Despite all the rumors and expectations of what the EV1 should be, what we got is pretty much what could be expected.

If we’re hoping for something truly innovative, we’ll indeed probably have to wait for the M12. And even then… don’t expect too much. Leica rarely does something technologically very advanced, but they do make bold moves — the Monochrom, the MxxD versions, the Q, the S — all clear examples of that.

 

It’s not about innovation for me, it’s about perfection.

That’s where the M11 has gone fundamentally wrong - pointless “improvements”.

[Stuart Richardson]

51 minutes ago, IkarusJohn said:

It’s not about innovation for me, it’s about perfection.

That’s where the M11 has gone fundamentally wrong - pointless “improvements”.

This is very subjective, but from my perspective Leica has only had 4 or 5 home runs in the last twenty years: the M9, the S006, M10M/R and the Q. Personally I would put the SL2 there too, but I know the market won’t agree. What is interesting to me is that all of them except the Q were the second iteration of an innovative first product. They took an interesting new camera and really sorted it out and fixed the quirks and made it superb. Hopefully Leica can do the same with the M11 and EV1: both bringing big changes to the line, but both a bit of a mixed bag. I had this experience from the M8 to M9 and S2 to S006. Especially in the case of the S, it seems like maybe a small change, but in reality there was a massive jump in refinement. I think Leica needs to do the same for the EV1. 

[IkarusJohn]

1 hour ago, Stuart Richardson said:

This is very subjective, but from my perspective Leica has only had 4 or 5 home runs in the last twenty years: the M9, the S006, M10M/R and the Q. Personally I would put the SL2 there too, but I know the market won’t agree. What is interesting to me is that all of them except the Q were the second iteration of an innovative first product. They took an interesting new camera and really sorted it out and fixed the quirks and made it superb. Hopefully Leica can do the same with the M11 and EV1: both bringing big changes to the line, but both a bit of a mixed bag. I had this experience from the M8 to M9 and S2 to S006. Especially in the case of the S, it seems like maybe a small change, but in reality there was a massive jump in refinement. I think Leica needs to do the same for the EV1. 

Hi Stuart,

I agree that the M EV1 will need refinement, but what that refinement will be will of course be subjective.  From my perspective, the cropping, pixel binning, live view metering, small internal memory and 60MP sensor were all unnecessary “innovations” carried over from the M11 that could easily be dumped, resulting in all the benefits of an improved sensor, better shutter sound (very subjective, but the M10-P shutter has a wonderful sound), more usable memory and less to go wrong.  I suspect that ship sailed long ago, but it is one of the many reasons I’ve stopped at the M10-D (which was perfect) and will go backwards towards my M-A as each camera dies, and will probably invest more in my X2D.

As for refinement of the M EV1 , I do not blame Leica for its cautious approach.  I suspect there is a clear majority among the decision makers within Leica absolutely opposed to an EVF M.

But, if it sells, it creates another problem for Leica - how to refine the focusing of the M EV; do they address the feature bloat of the M11 series; how far does the EV series diverge from the M rangefinder digitals; and if they get the focusing on the EV right, they will need to ensure that the rangefinder in the digital Ms also gets refined.

It’s a can of worms, and I doubt that Leica has the resources or the interest in developing the EV other than as a variant of its core digital rangefinder M cameras.  They already have three variants - P, M & D.  Will they want to do the same variants of an EV camera?

I’m sure the potential consequences of all this have been debated within Leica.  It could make a confused mess of the M series, with only the MP and M-A having clarity of purpose.

An M Classic, being an M12, with something like the best 36MP sensor, the latest optical rangefinder or EVF (with focus confirmation), metering off the shutter, and DNG only output would be a cheaper option, and I wouldn’t be alone in buying one …

 

[elmars]

vor 13 Stunden schrieb Robert Blanko:

Thank you Elmar for your honesty and your nicely composed photos! 

Reading between the lines and judging from your photos, what is the moral of the tale? i) Better have an M11 with Visoflex in your bag as backup to treat your neck with care and ii) the M11 does not seem to be the king of street photography but rather the king of still-life photography? 🤔

The M11 with Visoflex is not an option for me. The camera becomes heavy and awkward, and my nose is always in the viewfinder eyepiece. Otherwise, I really like the M11 and the rangefinder; but that's highly subjective, everyone has different preferences. The M EV1 is slower than the M11 when it comes to focusing. However, this is not always a disadvantage and not for everyone. You can also use it for street photography (I have done so), but perhaps not quite as well. When you need to work very quickly, you don't focus the rangefinder for every subject, but work with zone focusing instead.

I think anyone interested in the M EV1 should take a look at it. If you fall in love with it when you try it out, the only thing standing in the way of a purchase is your wallet.

[SrMi]

11 hours ago, IkarusJohn said:

It’s not about innovation for me, it’s about perfection.

That’s where the M11 has gone fundamentally wrong - pointless “improvements”.

I think it can be argued whether M11 has added "pointless" improvements, as I see all improvements as valuable. I know some disagree, and some agree with me. My impression is that most agree, as the M11 models seem to sell well.

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[SrMi]

34 minutes ago, elmars said:

 

The M11 with Visoflex is not an option for me. The camera becomes heavy and awkward, and my nose is always in the viewfinder eyepiece. Otherwise, I really like the M11 and the rangefinder; but that's highly subjective, everyone has different preferences. The M EV1 is slower than the M11 when it comes to focusing. However, this is not always a disadvantage and not for everyone. You can also use it for street photography (I have done so), but perhaps not quite as well. When you need to work very quickly, you don't focus the rangefinder for every subject, but work with zone focusing instead.

I think anyone interested in the M EV1 should take a look at it. If you fall in love with it when you try it out, the only thing standing in the way of a purchase is your wallet.

+1

I had specific expectations for M-EV1, but it still feels different when I started using it. Still working on figuring out the camera, but so far I like it as an alternative to shooting RF and non-RF cameras.