Jono: A Leica M EV1 Review

[Derbyshire Man]

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Well you've certainly put your money where your mouth is!

[algrove]

On 10/26/2025 at 12:33 PM, jonoslack said:

HI There - I've checked

The SL3 Is sort of shimmery - I can see the issue - and the fact that it doesn't remember the magnification is irritating. I will talk about this to the powers that be.

On the M EV1 it is not shimmery (looks good) and it also remembers the zoom setting from shot to shot.

All the best

 

Jono

Thanks for what you do if I may say so.

 

As for the SL3 I changed my refresh from 60Hz to 120Hz and it is much better, i.e., smoother. Or is it much better due to IBIS? 

Edit-Neglected to ask if the EV1's EVF has the same electronic stabilization that the Viso2 is said to use?

Edited November 3 by algrove

[jonoslack]

On 11/3/2025 at 4:09 PM, algrove said:

Jono

Thanks for what you do if I may say so.

 

As for the SL3 I changed my refresh from 60Hz to 120Hz and it is much better, i.e., smoother. Or is it much better due to IBIS? 

Edit-Neglected to ask if the EV1's EVF has the same electronic stabilization that the Viso2 is said to use?

Hi There - the EV1 does have the same electronic stabilisation as the Viso2 (I checked!)

 

[Eoin]

Jono, a balanced & thoughtful insight to the new EV1, I always enjoy reading your thoughts on equipment you've used during your beta testing.
Sorry to read about the cataracts starting to develop, I hope it doesn't impact too much on your photography enjoyment.

While this iteration of a M-EV offers me very little over my M10R/Visoflex type 20 or M11M/Visoflex 2. I dislike the  images in both visoflex's viewfinder but find the SL2/SL2-S almost acceptable. The SL's shimmer instead of focus peaking is much better for gauging focus point and depth of field, while leaving the subject matter observable.

Next time you're talking to Leica, would you be kind enough to ask them to release the APO Summicron SL 24mm please?🙏😉. 

 

 

 

[LeicaR10]

Eoin,  +1 on the SL 24, but I am certain we are beating a dead horse to death about that lens.  r/ Mark

[hdmesa]

On 10/25/2025 at 6:24 AM, siddhaarta said:

I would consider myself somebody who is very much interested in using EVF with manual focus lenses.  Indeed for me, Leica M is as much about rangefinder as it is about using these wonderful jewels, called M lenses (and I would add, the same holds for Zeiss ZM lenses and Voigtländer VM lenses).

My problem is that when I bought the Leica SL3 to use it with M and ZM and VM lenses, my photographing experience with manual focus lenses deteriorated considerably, compared to previous use with Leica SL and SL2. Why, because magnified live view (which is my preferred way of focusing) shows a sort of mushy image and, depending on the characteristics of the lens and light situation, makes it very hard and not joyful at all to focus exactly (and yes I use 60 FPS and not 120 FPS). With the SL2, I knew exactly where the best focus point was, now it is more or less in focus but never really sharp (obviously only in live view, the ex-post review is fine provided you nailed focus). I don't know what causes this deterioration, obviously it is not the EVF as it is the same in SL2, but probably the larger sensor size and internal handling of data and pixels in magnified live view.  I recently made some comparisons between Leica SL3 and Nikon Z5 (24MP and 3,7 Mio EFV) focusing the same M lenses. With Nikon it was easy and a joy and with the Leica SL3 it was not.

In case of SL3 one can argue that this is not its main use case, but it is with the Leica M EV1. If that mushy magnified live view persists with the Leica M EV1 it is not for me (and I fear it does because it is the more or less same 60 MP sensor and same processor). 

Have you any insights and conclusions to this topic?

I bought the SL3 when it first launched, and this is what made me return it. Magnified live view for manual focusing of M lenses is sub-par compared to the SL2-S, and I assume the SL3-S. The perfect M EV1 in my opinion would have had the SL2/3-S sensor.

 

On 10/26/2025 at 10:33 AM, jonoslack said:

HI There - I've checked

The SL3 Is sort of shimmery - I can see the issue - and the fact that it doesn't remember the magnification is irritating. I will talk about this to the powers that be.

On the M EV1 it is not shimmery (looks good) and it also remembers the zoom setting from shot to shot.

All the best

 

If you think it helpful, please also ask them to offer a "magnification priority" for the EVF that would prioritize detail/resolution of the magnified area, perhaps lowering the frame rate on the fly to allow it. This is also needed on the SL3 when focusing M lenses. The SL3 viewfinder provides incredibly detailed playback at high magnification, so the EVF is not the issue, it's the quality of the live view feed that that is sub par at high magnification. I know this issue isn't limited to Leica, but it would be nice for Leica to find a workaround/solution since using manual focus lenses is bigger part of their identity. 

 

On 11/6/2025 at 4:46 PM, jonoslack said:

Hi There - the EV1 does have the same electronic stabilisation as the Viso2 (I checked!)

 

This is good to hear, but it also means that the image framing is always a little off compared to the captured image. It would be nice if there were an option to turn off the electronic stabilization for tripod and/or wide angle use where it's less needed. 

[ahl]

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I have been most interested to read the comments about small autofocus lenses for the SL series. Advancing age brought me from the M240 to the SL2 mainly for the IBIS. I have used all my M lenses on it without real problems using focus peaking.  I do not enjoy the magnified image and it slows me down and reduces the spontaneity of my shooting. When I think I might need a compact autofocus lens I use the Sigma L 45mm 2.8. It is a great value lens, small, with full metal construction including the hood, it also has an aperture ring and handles like my M lenses. I admit it does not have the big aperture that we love nor the ultimate optical quality, but on the rare occasions I use it I get as much satisfaction as my manual lenses. So alternatives at affordable prices do exist if you search diligently enough: it is just a matter of horses for courses.

I think the M1 EVF might well bring a new customer base to Leica, will improve over time, and really won't affect the die hard RF users. Let's just agree to disagree.  Alain

 

[graphlex]

On 11/9/2025 at 8:57 AM, hdmesa said:

The perfect M EV1 in my opinion would have had the SL2/3-S sensor.

it would be interesting to test whether using the 36mp or 18mp option would reduce this shimmer. Irakly?

Edited November 22 by graphlex

[hdmesa]

On 11/22/2025 at 2:59 PM, graphlex said:

it would be interesting to test whether using the 36mp or 18mp option would reduce this shimmer. Irakly?

The resolution modes don’t affect the live view feed, they are applied only to the captured image data.