Survey: Leica M EV1 – Future or mistake?

[adan]

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1 hour ago, jaapv said:

Which is basically an USA thing

"Vox Populi, vox Dei."

Most Murcan drivers can't be arsed to learn a clutch-and-stick (just as, it appears, some Leica-M wannabees can't be arsed to learn how to use a rangefinder. 😜 )

(However physical disabilities, also as with the M-EV1, understandably play a role).

There are some Murcan manual-shift cars still made - but realistically, they simply do not sell well overall, so are now the "luxury" option (which will typically NOT include rental fleets, except by special request). Can't stay in business making things people won't buy.

https://www.caranddriver.com/features/g20734564/manual-transmission-cars/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=dda_ga_cd_md_bm_prog_org_us_g20734564&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=19550043290&gbraid=0AAAAACfH9WhVUnC_S5V7CS9Lux8ssYXGX&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_rG4l-HbkAMVtjWtBh1plxKREAAYASAAEgK7tvD_BwE

Might be worth noting there are no Stellantis/Chrysler cars on that list, except Jeeps.

And Stellantis is headquartered in............Hoofddorp.  😉😁😜🤪 Those danged Dutch!

 

 

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[Tailwagger]

1 hour ago, jaapv said:

Which is basically an USA thing - Before the advent of EVs which are transmission-less by nature I had never even driven an automatic vehicle - Oh yes -once, when visiting the USA. Hated the thing. 

Not really. US manufacturers historically, perhaps, but by no means the entirety of US consumers, at least prior to the rise of the SUV.  As with you, I've driven manuals all my life and still do, my first one being a 1960 Alfa 2000 Spyder, my current one being a 911.  For decades many of us here stateside looked to Europe to provide us with on road entertainment, but that ship has now sailed.  The Euros have been killing off the remaining manuals over here for the past decade despite decent demand at least on the sports car/sedan side of things.  Much grousing, for example, about VW, which has killed the base Golf in the US and is only giving us DCTs in the GTI/R, particularly odd given the target audience.  The quintessential sports sedan here, the BMW 3/4, lost its manual years ago with only the baby Ms still offering it.  The excuses made by VW/BMW was that the US is the only spot on the globe that wanted 6 spds, no demand elsewhere, too expensive to certify under US regs, so they're dead. For Porsche USA the current take rate on manuals for the 911/718 is still around 40% despite the DCTs performance advantage.  And of course, all the supercar folks in Europe killed manual offerings long ago (though admittedly a few are now considering re-introducing them).  

But to be honest, having owned a few DCTs more recently, I've grown to accept that as long as I can fully control which gear I'm in with no nannie intervention, I really dont care much about having clutch pedal as opposed to flicking a paddle.  If its good enough for F1, its good enough for me.  Oh and it should be mentioned that several EVs actually do have a multi-speed transmission, the Taycan comes to mind for example, not that you can directly control them mind you.

You might find the list of remaining manuals available here in the US  interesting.  From what I read about whats available in the UK, our list is not much shorter. The main difference being there simply arent any econo boxes of any kind sold here anymore. 

[algrove]

I NEVER would have owned a Ruf Yellowbird if it had only been offered with auto tranny anything. Long live 6 speeds.

[charlesphoto99]

I would love to teach my sixteen year old how to drive a manual shift. But here in America at least, that can be really hard to find unless one knows somebody into older cars, or go and rent a high end Porsche (which I'm not about to do to teach a teenager). I don't miss the days of being in a slow moving traffic jam on the highway with a manual. Otherwise, yeah good fun, I do miss it at times. 

[SrMi]

1 hour ago, charlesphoto99 said:

I would love to teach my sixteen year old how to drive a manual shift. But here in America at least, that can be really hard to find unless one knows somebody into older cars, or go and rent a high end Porsche (which I'm not about to do to teach a teenager). I don't miss the days of being in a slow moving traffic jam on the highway with a manual. Otherwise, yeah good fun, I do miss it at times. 

Mazda Miatas are still sold with a manual shift.

[hifigraz]

Way to expensive.

 

Without the complicated Rangefinder, it's just an EVF without autofocus. And this way much too expensive.

[Kay P]

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On 11/10/2025 at 9:38 AM, hifigraz said:

Way to expensive.

 

Without the complicated Rangefinder, it's just an EVF without autofocus. And this way much too expensive.

There’s better alternatives for such system, with better sensor and less price.

M EV1  7995€ ,  X2D II 7200€  Official price in Europe both

Takes M lenses with (on camera) 24x36 crop to avoid vigneting and still offer plenty of resolution. And R lenses, Hassel V, Canon tele etc The new XCD lenses really superb.

44x33 IBIS and Lidar AF

https://youtu.be/99U7YvMpwAQ

 

[SrMi]

10 minutes ago, Kay P said:

There’s better alternatives for such system, with better sensor and less price.

M EV1  7995€ ,  X2D II 7200€  Official price in Europe both

Takes M lenses with (on camera) 24x36 crop to avoid vigneting and still offer plenty of resolution. And R lenses, Hassel V, Canon tele etc The new XCD lenses really superb.

44x33 IBIS and Lidar AF

https://youtu.be/99U7YvMpwAQ

 

However, all adapted lenses have to be used with electronic shutter, which has a very slow readout with 100MP MF sensors. It still works fine in many cases.

Also, you lose any advantage of the large sensor when shooting cropped to 24x36. 

The X2D is larger and heavier and does not feel in the hand like an M.

Edited Tuesday at 04:39 PM by SrMi

[lct]

35 minutes ago, Kay P said:

There’s better alternatives for such system, with better sensor and less price.

M EV1  7995€ ,  X2D II 7200€  Official price in Europe both [...]

Hard to justify such a bulk and the lack of M mount at any price IMHO. M lenses deserve better than that.

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Source: https://camerasize.com/compare/#953,957

[FrozenInTime]

19 hours ago, lct said:

Hard to justify such a bulk and the lack of M mount at any price IMHO. M lenses deserve better than that.

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Source: https://camerasize.com/compare/#953,957

Despite the current 60 Mpixel sensor, I think the resolution game is not the right match for Leica M ( certainly not for a gateway model )

The latest ILC with IBIS, and focus aids to die for, is the Nikon ZR. The lack of mechanical shutter is not an issue with 1/60s read out ( 6x faster than the M-EV1 ).

Lower resolution Semi-stacked sensors are the way forward if a M-EV is ever to get IBIS .

https://camerasize.com/compare/#955,957

Does a massive screen compensate for loss of an EVF: not so much for precision work - the camera is more like a video centric S9, or full frame TL2. The drop in resolution would also knock $1500 off the price. 

Of note is subject detection aids and the punch in focus zoom , which is sharp and flawless, controlled by a rocker switch on the shutter release.

Before someone points it out, the biggest flaw is the focal plane is pushed right to the front of the camera ( why is it not marked on the M-EV1 ? )

[lct]

How about M and MTM lenses? Last time i checked, Nikon sensors had too thick a sensor stack to avoid soft corners and/or smearing on WA and UWA lenses. If this ZR camera is like my Sony a7r2 mod, it needs a Kolari mod and cannot do autozoom with M lenses, but i have no experience with this Nikon body admittedly.

[FrozenInTime]

7 minutes ago, lct said:

How about M and MTM lenses? Last time i checked, Nikon sensors had too thick a sensor stack to avoid soft corners and/or smearing on WA and UWA lenses. If this ZR camera is like my Sony a7r2 mod, it needs a Kolari mod and cannot do autozoom with M lenses, but i have no experience with this Nikon body admittedly.

Certainly a valid concern.  So far I've only tested out a 35mm Summilux ASPH, which looks to be doing okay.

On the LCD only operation, are photographers using the Hasselblad 907X/100C regretting that purchase instead of the X2D ?

[lct]

Kolari vision makes mods for Nikon Z cameras apparently. I don't know if the ZR variant needs the same or a similar mod but it cannot do autozoom with M and MTM lenses anyway. Seems like M11 and MEV1 bodies have no competition from Nikon or elsewhere with such lenses. My Sigma FPL gives good results with them but it cannot read the 6-bit code and cannot do autozoom either.

Edited Wednesday at 02:44 PM by lct

[jaapv]

But these cameras will still lack the specific microlens array. The only thing Kolari does is replace the IR filter and remove the AA filter -if present , but fewer and fewer cameras have one. 

[YXZ]

I am retired! I see no point in this new camera, for me! I moved to SLR, Pentax Spotmatic in 67! Nikon later

Added a M6TTL in 2000 as my M3 quite worn, 57 years..

I actually don't enjoy using mirrorless. Screen shimmers. 

Good Luck!

 

[Jeff S]

19 minutes ago, YXZ said:

 

I actually don't enjoy using mirrorless. Screen shimmers. 

 

That was my opinion until I used the SL(2).  I now switch seamlessly between M (RF) and SL viewing experiences.

Edited 9 hours ago by Jeff S