Leica M EV1: The first M with EVF instead of Rangefinder

[algrove]

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3 minutes ago, FlashGordonPhotography said:

Because battery life is already shorter with this camera. 230-270 shots. Compared to 700+++ with the M11. All of that is because of the EVF. Using 120fps would lower than even more.

Gordon

Why could not the end user have a choice to shorten battery life if wanted?

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[mmanda]

On 10/24/2025 at 7:20 AM, Olaf_ZG said:

Don’t understand all those (very) negative reactions… what did you all expect? A x2d2 packed in a m body?

it is a m-ev, a M with an evf. It will be great in use with wide/tele lenses, wide open, fast lenses.

it is expensive. True. So is the m11 already.

Many people will enjoy this camera. You’re such a tough public…

I know right. All these people with their knickers in a twist.   If Leica have this all wrong, nobody will buy it.  Lets see what the market decides... 

[la1402]

I had some hope for this and did not expect miracles from Leica. But I would have hoped that they would give us some more promising teaser of where they want to go from here. MF with EVFs has been tedious in the past. But when I see what my Z6III (and the ZF) can do with my Leica M lenses and subject detection (Not just eyes) across the full focussing range off the CF versions, it leaves me even more disappointed with Leica. Why did they not show some ambition for advanced focus assists? They don‘t even hint at this possibility for future firmware. I am a bit concerned that Leica was so cautious here that they will not attract enough customers now to stay interested in improving this line.

[mmanda]

7 hours ago, charlesphoto99 said:

I can't even imagine the up/down/up/down/up/down of auto-magnification. Fine if one is on a tripod and/or photographing a still subject/scene, but in any dynamic situation I would imagine one just getting lost to the overall scene if trying to focus as one would with a rangefinder with auto zoom enabled. On demand makes much more sense. 

Here's an example where auto-mag would absolutely make one miss the photo. If I was magnified into the center background of this pic while focusing, I would never have caught the great and sudden movement/expression of the woman in the foreground. With the traditional finder, where one sees everything at all times, even while focusing, photos like this are what make the traditional M special from most other cameras. M10M with 28 Summicron.    

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Couldn't you have achieved this photo with zone focusing though?  

[FrozenInTime]

@algrove even 60 Hz readout is probably pushing the 60 Mpixel sensor to the limit. The photo quality read time is 1/10s 10Hz, so for EVF display at faster rates 6x 1/10s the read out will be much noisier with lower bitt depth. Not sure how well read out from a reduced area is handled or processed, but complaints about fuzzy punch in zoom quality may be fundamental and related to noise reduction on the fast read out data.

 

[FrozenInTime]

13 minutes ago, la1402 said:

I had some hope for this and did not expect miracles from Leica. But I would have hoped that they would give us some more promising teaser of where they want to go from here. MF with EVFs has been tedious in the past. But when I see what my Z6III (and the ZF) can do with my Leica M lenses and subject detection (Not just eyes) across the full focussing range off the CF versions, it leaves me even more disappointed with Leica. Why did they not show some ambition for advanced focus assists? They don‘t even hint at this possibility for future firmware. I am a bit concerned that Leica was so cautious here that they will not attract enough customers now to stay interested in improving this line.

Semi-stacked sensor with fast readout and sensible pixel count, and a newer generation of data processor ASIC.

Edited Saturday at 11:12 PM by FrozenInTime

[algrove]

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Leica's software prowess has been less than stellar for some time now.

[charlesphoto99]

11 minutes ago, mmanda said:

Couldn't you have achieved this photo with zone focusing though?  

You missed my point altogether. It's not about the focus, it's about the moment, and how one focuses to capture that, with getting focus out of the way as much as possible. And if I was zoomed in because I went from the band right in front of me to the other side of the stage at f2.8 or 4, I want to refocus. And if I rely on lens movement triggering the center to magnify (I was going for a snapshot of my friend, the other photographer, who had just taken one of me) I would have missed the woman's movement on the right. No time to reframe, though this is full frame. It's those fleeting moments that get lost when one gets tunnel vision with an SLR or EVF type viewfinder, esp with so called focus aids. Here's another example, using a 135mm APO. I was forcing on the plane and the crow flew into my field of vision. Because I was able to see so much around the 135mm finder area, I was able to catch the crow flying into the frame. 

So what I'm saying, is that with an EVF or SLR it's much more difficult to see what's coming into the frame versus the M, and that's what has attracted 'street' photographers for so long to the camera. 

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[mmanda]

Just now, charlesphoto99 said:

You missed my point altogether. It's not about the focus, it's about the moment, and how one focuses to capture that, with getting focus out of the way as much as possible. And if I was zoomed in because I went from the band right in front of me to the other side of the stage at f2.8 or 4, I want to refocus. And if I rely on lens movement triggering the center to magnify (I was going for a snapshot of my friend, the other photographer, who had just taken one of me) I would have missed the woman's movement on the right. No time to reframe, though this is full frame. It's those fleeting moments that get lost when one gets tunnel vision with an SLR or EVF type viewfinder, esp with so called focus aids. Here's another example, using a 135mm APO. I was forcing on the plane and the crow flew into my field of vision. Because I was able to see so much around the 135mm finder area, I was able to catch the crow flying into the frame. 

So what I'm saying, is that with an EVF or SLR it's much more difficult to see what's coming into the frame versus the M, and that's what has attracted 'street' photographers for so long to the camera. 

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Its not that I missed your point. I was curious as to whether zone focusing could help in these moments, as a work around perhaps for some.  And maybe for some they will be able to find ways of working around the loss of out of frame visibility.  It will be interesting to see how this camera is received by those that buy it over the coming months.  

I see what you are saying...  for me i like the rangefinder in my M10P and dont want to move away. I like the option of the Visoflex which I do have but use rarely.  

[charlesphoto99]

4 minutes ago, mmanda said:

Its not that I missed your point. I was curious as to whether zone focusing could help in these moments, as a work around perhaps for some.  And maybe for some they will be able to find ways of working around the loss of out of frame visibility.  It will be interesting to see how this camera is received by those that buy it over the coming months.  

I see what you are saying...  for me i like the rangefinder in my M10P and dont want to move away. I like the option of the Visoflex which I do have but use rarely.  

I see. I really don't prescribe to the set and forget 'zone' focusing, as I'm always micro-focusing once I'm in the zone, if that makes sense. That way I'm ready for anything. Of course I keep my working depth of field in mind at all times. I know I have to slow down and be much more precise at 1.4 than I would at f4, and close in versus further away. And of course a 24 or 18 is much more forgiving than even a 28. For me, triggering the shutter in the moment always takes precedence over where I'm at in focusing. So by making smaller focus movements all the time, and not worrying if I'm absolutely perfect in any given decisive moment in a dynamic setting, I'm always in the zone I need to be in. And then one also gets constant practice, and the focus hit rate goes up.  

[S Maclean]

9 hours ago, hexx said:

Just returned from the “town” and tried it out at Leica Mayfair store. I shall eat my words and correct what I’ve said about it before. It definitely is M rather than Q with M mount. It feels nice and solid in the hand like M11. It had 35 Lux on it and focusing was quite easy at 1.4. Tried few captures with and without magnification and it was tack sharp so that means, at least from that brief experience, that the EVF works well for focusing. Now I have a dilemma - should I sell Q3 and get this or not 😀

 

That’s a more justified dilemma IMO. After all no one is forced to buy this camera. It’s just a matter of user preference 

[rramesh]

Not sure how Leica does marketing surveys.  But I would be keen to understand:

a) How many existing M users switch to the M-EV1. 
b) How many new customers the M-EV1 is able to attract. 

Maybe the mods could run a survey to capture this. 

[SrMi]

3 hours ago, la1402 said:

I had some hope for this and did not expect miracles from Leica. But I would have hoped that they would give us some more promising teaser of where they want to go from here. MF with EVFs has been tedious in the past. But when I see what my Z6III (and the ZF) can do with my Leica M lenses and subject detection (Not just eyes) across the full focussing range off the CF versions, it leaves me even more disappointed with Leica. Why did they not show some ambition for advanced focus assists? They don‘t even hint at this possibility for future firmware. I am a bit concerned that Leica was so cautious here that they will not attract enough customers now to stay interested in improving this line.

When buying camera, we should consider what it can do, not what it could do in the future, either with firmware updates or new models.

Nikon's style of MF assist likely requires PDAF, which is not available with M sensors.

Leica is using a minimal effort to judge whether there is really an interest in an EV line of M cameras. On the other hand, the interest may be even bigger if there were more innovative solutions in EV1.

Leica's R&D for the M line seems to be fully focused on the M12.

[SrMi]

4 minutes ago, rramesh said:

Not sure how Leica does marketing surveys.  But I would be keen to understand:

a) How many existing M users switch to the M-EV1. 
b) How many new customers the M-EV1 is able to attract. 

Maybe the mods could run a survey to capture this. 

I believe there are quite a few who c) add M-EV1 to their rangefinder M.

[Dex_Keshin]

I still believe a Q-styled body with L-mount is a better option than M EV1 in terms of practicality.

You will get everything a M EV1 has plus a flip screen, IBIS, L-mount lenses with auto focus (and all the M/R-mount lenses with adapter), video recording capability, with the downside of thicker and heavier than M EV1 (but definitely smaller and lighter than SL3).

I was hoping the M EV1 will have a hybrid viewfinder like Fujifilm’s X-Pro/X100 did, but it is a rangefinder-styled mirrorless camera with native m-mount. 

[elmars]

vor 13 Stunden schrieb hexx:

Just returned from the “town” and tried it out at Leica Mayfair store. I shall eat my words and correct what I’ve said about it before. It definitely is M rather than Q with M mount. It feels nice and solid in the hand like M11. It had 35 Lux on it and focusing was quite easy at 1.4. Tried few captures with and without magnification and it was tack sharp so that means, at least from that brief experience, that the EVF works well for focusing. Now I have a dilemma - should I sell Q3 and get this or not 😀

 

I think this is similar to focussing with an SLR screen without autofocus. Some have no problems with that, some (like me) have. Even with good eyes. I need magnification. And magnification slows focussing down. That must not annoy everyone but You have to consider it. 

[SrMi]

51 minutes ago, Dex_Keshin said:

I still believe a Q-styled body with L-mount is a better option than M EV1 in terms of practicality.

You will get everything a M EV1 has plus a flip screen, IBIS, L-mount lenses with auto focus (and all the M/R-mount lenses with adapter), video recording capability, with the downside of thicker and heavier than M EV1 (but definitely smaller and lighter than SL3).

I was hoping the M EV1 will have a hybrid viewfinder like Fujifilm’s X-Pro/X100 did, but it is a rangefinder-styled mirrorless camera with native m-mount. 

That camera would not be an M but an L camera (SL, CL, QL?). A smaller FF L-mount camera has been requested by many, but requires significant R&D, i.e., Leica must ensure it is financially viable before starting work on it. I would love to see such a camera for the L ecosystem.

[Daniel C.1975]

vor einer Stunde schrieb Dex_Keshin:

I still believe a Q-styled body with L-mount is a better option than M EV1 in terms of practicality.

You will get everything a M EV1 has plus a flip screen, IBIS, L-mount lenses with auto focus (and all the M/R-mount lenses with adapter), video recording capability, with the downside of thicker and heavier than M EV1 (but definitely smaller and lighter than SL3).

 

I agree with you.

But for what it‘s worth, for me Leica has left the area of realism with their pricing a few years ago - especially with the M-line.

I love and use my Q3, I meanwhile leave the SL2-S more often than not at home and sometimes feel an itch to get a M again. But honestly with the M11 they really kicked it over any sensible boundary. And no, I am not too poor to afford one, I easily can, but I am evaluating the value I get for my money (which is to a certain degree subjective, so no one needs to feel offended).

Back to the EV1: One argument for the price of the M always was the complex optical design of the viewfinder. Now, the EV1 comes for roughly 10% less.

I say, in the world of M this fairly priced, just not for me. On the other hand, if you have a bunch of m-glass and your eyes are not what they used to be, I think this is an attractive offer for many already M-user. But I don‘t See the attraction for new user, at least not in the current competitive landscape (Some mentioned the Hasselbladt, not sure if this is a good comparison due to size, but for sure it is a higher value for the spend money). I‘d say for 6k€ not many would argue, but hey, what would a new Leica announcement be worth without us bitching about the too high price 😀

The biggest draw back I see, is focusing with just the old fashioned focus peeking when stopped down. At open aperture it should be really good, as it is on the Q or SL-x with a manual lense. But stopped down, it will be a guessing game. Of course, zone-focusing is always an option, but you don‘t need an EVF to do so. 
 

I stick to the point: A Q with L-Mount at below 5k€ might have missed the iconic momentum, but would have been more versatile and might have attracted more people.

Still, for some it is what they‘ve dreamed of for years and I am happy for them.

 

 

Edited 21 hours ago by Daniel C.1975

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[elmars]

vor 9 Stunden schrieb FlashGordonPhotography:

Because battery life is already shorter with this camera. 230-270 shots. Compared to 700+++ with the M11. All of that is because of the EVF. Using 120fps would lower than even more.

These figures do not reflect the real picture. The battery lasts much longer, although usage patterns naturally play a role. Here are my findings from six months of use, as described in my review:

From the very beginning, I noticed that the M EV1 consumed more energy than the M11. This is a drawback, but the additional consumption can be limited. Then, the M EV1 has good battery life.

With all EVF cameras I’ve tried so far, I’ve never liked that the EVF, in its default setting, automatically switches to standby mode after a very short time and always has to be reactivated (which, however, can be done almost without delay). For the M EV1, the default standby time for the EVF is 30 seconds. Initially, I extended the automatic shutdown time to 5 minutes. This worked well for me, as I hardly ever had to activate the EVF when bringing the camera to my eye while taking photos. I did not expect this would increase energy consumption, though. I also always used the EVF-Extended setting, thinking it would save energy: when the eye is not at the viewfinder, the EVF does not display an image and consumes no power. That was a misconception. The standard M11 loses about 10% of its battery capacity in an hour simply because it’s turned on, and taking photos doesn’t consume much more energy. For the M EV1, it’s about 15% when the EVF switches to standby mode after 30 seconds. That’s not much more than the M11. However, if the EVF is not in standby mode (regardless of whether it’s displaying an image or not), it’s about 30%. After discovering this, I reset the EVF shutdown time back to the default of 30 seconds.

This way, the energy consumption is only moderately higher than the M11. On average, I can shoot continuously with the M EV1 for between four and six hours. During this time, the camera itself is rarely in standby mode (automatic shutdown is set to 30 minutes), and I always use Low Energy Bluetooth to transfer geodata and all images as previews to the iPhone. During this period, I take between 80 and 150 photos.

Full review here:

 

[JNK100]

7 hours ago, algrove said:

Leica's software prowess has been less than stellar for some time now.

I've never had any issues with the software.