Leica M EV1 and eye relief / eye point

[Winedemonium]

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I love the Leica M, including the rangefinder experience. Like for many users with ageing eyes, the rangefinder patch has become a little more challenging, but that is partly offset by experience. My bigger issue now with larger eyeglasses is eye relief. I lost the 28mm frameline visiiblity with my previous eyeglasses, and now the 35mm framelines (though I can peer around to see them quickly one by one) are not in view. The 50mm framelines remain clear. OK, so I have options - OVF attachments, the EVF, etc.

I read on the tech specs that the M EV1 has an eyepoint of 20.75mm, which doesn't sound that great (especially as I am a left eye user anyway). 

Perhaps the experience of the M EV1 for eyeglass wearers is the same as for the Q/2/3 (which I don't have). 

Eye point / eye relief is going to be a key factor for me in considering the M EV1. My fear here is that Leica missed a (maybe small) part of the market segment for this camera by not making eye relief a design priority - as there are mirrorless cameras with eye point as good as 25mm on the market.

I look forward to M EV1 users with eyeglasses feedback in due course. Thank you.

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[FrozenInTime]

Does the diopter range miss the target audience ?

-4 / +2 is similar to the visoflex, which I already have cranked up near the +2 end for reading glasses ( long sighted, as are 30% of adults rising to 50% with age ) 

[Winedemonium]

On 10/23/2025 at 10:14 PM, Winedemonium said:

I read on the tech specs that the M EV1 has an eyepoint of 20.75mm, which doesn't sound that great (especially as I am a left eye user anyway). 

Perhaps the experience of the M EV1 for eyeglass wearers is the same as for the Q/2/3 (which I don't have). 

Eye point / eye relief is going to be a key factor for me in considering the M EV1.

OK, so I went in and tried a demo M EV1, and was pleased to see that the eye relief is fine. It's not perfect, but its good enough for my purposes. Between the focus peaking toggle, and the possibility to set the custom button to punch in, it's reasonably well implemented. Indeed, I just bought one, and it's little green light is flashing as I charge it while posting this.

I do wish that the focus aids were class leading - they are not. But this is still an elegant solution. It won't replace my M10R BP, or M10M, and let's see if I bond with it. 

I am impressed with how light it is in the hand. It's also my first body in the M11 platform range, so a few things for me to discover there too. The unboxing experience is a little better than a box of toothpaste, but only just. I guess I'm supposed to like the new eco-friendly materials. 😜 Still, it's about the shooting experience, and I have that now to look forward to.

 

[Jeff S]

Did you try thin, flexible eyeglass frames (with similarly slim lenses) to further improve the viewing experience by allowing you to press more comfortably against the VF?

[Winedemonium]

8 hours ago, Jeff S said:

Did you try thin, flexible eyeglass frames (with similarly slim lenses) to further improve the viewing experience by allowing you to press more comfortably against the VF?

Hi Jeff, I think doing the reverse of this advice 🙄 is where I went wrong in the first place. I treated myself to custom eyeglass frames a couple of years back, but they increased the eyepoint requirements (I can no longer see 35mm framelines in a 0.72, just 50mm). The smart move would be to upgrade the prescription in my old flexi-type frames, and wear those when out shooting. Pressing those up against the 0.72 viewfinder and I have a clear view of the 35mm framelines, so that's something. 

But I'm happy now that the M EV1 gives me a solution for times when I'm wearing my now regular custom glasses, and for shooting 28mm without an attached OVF. I briefly considered a used M11-P and Visoflex (both used for about what I paid for a new M EV1, so a smart spend), but I was impressed by the M EV1's light weight and compact form (no attachments needed). 

Let's see if I bond with it...

[Jeff S]

My approach is to use an M (mostly M10M these days) with 35/50, and occasionally 28.  I do this successfully with RF only, as I have since the mid-80’s, despite aging eyes. Glasses remain on, and an additional +.5 diopter now optimizes focusing. But benign hand tremors have shown me the benefits of using the SL2 (with IBIS) and 24-90 (with OIS) as my complementary setup. Totally different shooting experiences, but I’m now comfortable with both.

The MEV1 holds no interest for me, but I’m glad that Leica has given others another option that might better serve their needs. I imagine that a second generation might have even greater appeal for some.  For me, that would include IBIS, if that became feasible.

[mboerma]

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8 hours ago, Jeff S said:

Glasses remain on, and an additional +.5 diopter now optimizes focusing.

The difference and issue with the Q's and the M-EV1 is that the diopter setting knob doesn't have a scale or a noticeable middle. When my M-EV1 was delivered it was set fully to one side (+2? -4?). I tried to find the values or number of clicks in the manual, but no info. So there is no reference point and clear setting as there is on the SL cameras.

Edited November 23 by mboerma

[Jeff S]

1 hour ago, mboerma said:

The difference and issue with the Q's and the M-EV1 is that the diopter setting knob doesn't have a scale or a noticeable middle. When my M-EV1 was delivered it was set fully to one side (+2? -4?). I tried to find the values or number of clicks in the manual, but no info. So there is no reference point and clear setting as there is on the SL cameras.

Interesting that there are no markings, but even on my SL2, I’d have to look in the manual to find corresponding values for line markings. It really doesn’t matter  to me anyway, as trial and error by actually looking in the VF and turning a knob is required to find optimal setting.  Even my M cameras require trial diopters to determine the best; the actual value is only needed for purchase; after that, the actual value is hidden without removing the piece. At least the knob is clickable on the MEV-1 (I don’t own, but looked at the manual online…p.32), so it should remain stable once set via experimentation. The SL2 knob is not clickable, but is not easily moved unintentionally.

Edited November 23 by Jeff S

[DadDadDaddyo]

10 hours ago, Jeff S said:

...benign hand tremors have shown me the benefits of using the SL2 (with IBIS) and 24-90 (with OIS) as my complementary setup. Totally different shooting experiences, but I’m now comfortable with both.

Man, I'm really sorry to hear this, and I'm also really glad to hear you've found a workable solution in the SL2 and the 24-90. Those are great, great pieces of equipment. 

Getting older brings with it countless opportunities to trade beloved practices for practicalities. I'm starting to think that navigating this successfully makes the difference for those who can regard aging as an accomplishment rather than as only a decline. 

[Jeff S]

1 minute ago, DadDadDaddyo said:

Man, I'm really sorry to hear this, and I'm also really glad to hear you've found a workable solution in the SL2 and the 24-90. Those are great, great pieces of equipment. 

Getting older brings with it countless opportunities to trade beloved practices for practicalities. I'm starting to think that navigating this successfully makes the difference for those who can regard aging as an accomplishment rather than as only a decline. 

Thanks, but minor issue compared to others’ challenges.  At 75, I’ve lost friends much younger than I, and others I know deal regularly with far more difficult circumstances.  I carry on with use of the M system, just using common sense handling and settings, but the SL2 is surely a more flexible tool.  Fortunately, nobody but me knows or cares what gear I use when looking at pics or prints.