Survey: Leica M EV1 – Future or mistake?

[LocalHero1953]

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10% of responders are buyers, and nearly 50% think this is a good idea.
I would be encouraged if I was Leica.

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The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[la1402]

6 hours ago, pascal_meheut said:

This is not an interesting survey. To me, the subject is not the EVF, it is the current implementation: no IBIS, inefficient focusing aids when competitors have implemented new ideas, etc.
 

Fully Agreed. The idea of EVF is good, its implementation too lazy. Leica is not committed themselves but want customers to spend 8.000€. With a better EVF focussing aids and IBIS, I am in.

[JNK100]

1 hour ago, eawholloway said:

I collected mine from the Leica Manchester store this morning. Very satisfied in all respects. I have found focusing with just an enlarged image view, no focus peaking, is very easy. The new role for the 'frame selector' lever makes switching on the viewfinder enlarged view very quick and helpful. I tried using the camera  with both the f3.4 21mm and the f3.4 135mm lenses very straigtforward . Although the actual weight difference between the M11 and M EV1 is only about 80gm, it feels significantly lighter in the hand.

You will need to factor in the weight if a spare battery though I am afraid.

[nameBrandon]

23 minutes ago, la1402 said:

Fully Agreed. The idea of EVF is good, its implementation too lazy. Leica is not committed themselves but want customers to spend 8.000€. With a better EVF focussing aids and IBIS, I am in.

Triple agreed. They need to innovate for the EVF, not simply slap on an EVF and then only offer focus peaking and magnification as an option. I was hoping for something unique to Leica or ground-breaking in the EVF "rangefinder" approach. There's nothing new here that people haven't been doing with M-adapters and any old Sony body for 8+ years. In fact, that Sony setup with the TechArt adapter even had autofocus with Leica M lenses. 

Edited yesterday at 09:31 PM by nameBrandon

[auschmid]

I'm happy with my M10 as it is. I'm not going for M EV1. "if" I had to replace the M with a more recent version, I'd make sure it includes the Content Credentials Technology (and a rangefinder).

 

[crf59]

I don't get all the negativity over the EV1. It's an option - nobody is forcing it on anyone and it's not replacing the rangefinder. I own most all recent Leicas and was buyer the minute I heard about it. In my case it's the ability to use ANY focal length M mount lens with a full viewfinder (without the need for the Visoflex wart). So from my 18 to my 135 lens I get a real viewfinder experience while maintaining the simplicity I love about Ms. I can live with the perhaps less than perfect focusing aids. But the 3 people I have talked to overseas that actually own the camera and all the reviews I have seen over here support that, for me, it's a worthwhile addition.

The sensor is the same as the M11, which is perhaps the best performing current instantiation of the Sony sensor. I am mostly a landscape and travel photographer. I don't need IBIS and autofocus.

So it's for people like me, not for everyone. I hope they make it in a black paint over brass version.....

[pippy]

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I can't see why there should be any difficulty for anyone in accepting the new camera if Leica continue to offer a rangefinder model as well. To answer question 1.3; it's certainly not something I would consider buying for myself but I can completely understand why it will be attractive for many photographers.

As it happens I had the opportunity to try one out for myself this afternoon and, M-form apart, absolutely hated it with a passion but my own petty likes / dislikes are of absolutely no importance for anyone but myself.

I sincerely hope Leica have great success with the new model and am sure for those photographers who have loved the M system but whose eyesight, perhaps, is not now what it once was the camera will be a wonderful option. Similarly for those unfamiliar with using a rangefinder it must hold a certain attraction / appeal.

Philip.

[lct]

30 minutes ago, pippy said:

[...] I sincerely hope Leica have great success with the new model and am sure for those photographers who have loved the M system but whose eyesight, perhaps, is not now what it once was the camera will be a wonderful option. Similarly for those unfamiliar with using a rangefinder it must hold a certain attraction / appeal.

Remains those very (too?) familiar with rangefinders and that want the best mirrorless camera for their M and LTM lenses. Are they (we) totally hopeless? Just kidding 😉

[dsalamena]

I voted, even though my real answer should have been: "I'm interested in a Leica M with EVF, once proper manual focus assists are implemented". 

Also, please, consider the possibility to realease a new L-mount interchangeable lens camera with EVF and IBIS, smaller than the SL.

 

 

Edited 19 hours ago by dsalamena

[adan]

6 hours ago, LocalHero1953 said:

10% of responders are buyers, and nearly 50% think this is a good idea.
I would be encouraged if I was Leica.

Hmmm - With 8 billion people in the world, 51 (the curent absolute count) is a microscopic rounding error from "zero." 0.00000001 %. 😁

[Virtus]

45 minutes ago, adan said:

Hmmm - With 8 billion people in the world, 51 (the curent absolute count) is a microscopic rounding error from "zero." 0.00000001 %. 😁

The funny thing is that out of all those "50%" who seem excited by the idea, only 10% out of the total (that is roughly 20% of the "excited by the idea" crowd) who actually voted with their pockets. I'd say it's a pretty revealing fact. 

[otto.f]

14 hours ago, oldpilot said:

So why the uproar?

The price perhaps? Especially in the US? I always thought, what makes the M more expensive than an SL? And reckoned that it was the rangefinder: requires handiwork. Now we see an EV without image stabilization and it is promoted as perfect for long lenses, I don't get the logic. https://chatsphotog.com/musings/f/stefan-daniel-on-the-leica-m-ev1

[evikne]

2 hours ago, Virtus said:

The funny thing is that out of all those "50%" who seem excited by the idea, only 10% out of the total (that is roughly 20% of the "excited by the idea" crowd) who actually voted with their pockets. I'd say it's a pretty revealing fact. 

The M EV1 (or any Leica camera, really) is of course not made for people like me who cannot afford to buy it. If I could just go and buy it on impulse, like many others here, I would definitely do so, because I think it's a viable idea. But for me, a new Leica camera is a big investment that I would have to consider for years.

Edited 14 hours ago by evikne

[MarkP]

12 hours ago, Edward Schwartzreich said:

Another issue is that Leica has placed adjustment of ISO within the menu, and not on a knob on the camera’s exterior.

That is not good...

[beewee]

As an owner of an M8.2, M10, SL2-S, SL3, and Q3, and someone who’s shot on the M8.2 and M10 as a main camera for 10 years, I don’t think the M EV1 is for me at this price point which is ~20% more than the SL3.

The M EV1 is pretty redundant with the SL3 and the only gain I see is a saving of a few hundred grams in weight and a slightly better optimized sensor for older M glass compared to the SL3.

The downside is that for anyone who doesn’t own an M11 variant but do own a Q3, dealing with different battery types is a pain the butt. At least with the SL and Q series, they use common batteries which doesn’t change every single generation like on the M. Given the cost of Leica batteries, this alone is a big point of friction. It’s more forgivable on the M11 variants because of the decent battery life when shooting without a Visoflex but the M EV1 makes the batteries a liability. Moreover, you lose the option for shooting video (if that matters to you) and the ability to shoot on some amazing L-mount glass from Sigma and Leica.

Looking at the M EV1, I think where it could sell well would be for customers who want to carry a Leica M as a prestige, luxury lifestyle camera and get some utility out of it without the need to spend a crap ton of time learning how to focus with a rangefinder, especially on fancy noctilux lenses. I imagine for a person who is wealthy enough to buy Leica gear like its pizza and who’s not an long-time photography enthusiast but more of a casual photographer, it gives them an option to walk into a Leica store and tell the staff that they want the most expensive lenses available because that must be the best and they want to buy a camera to go with it that look chic.

[SrMi]

1 minute ago, MarkP said:

That is not good...

ISO is quickly accessible, as with other mirrorless cameras: press and turn the rear dial. I like the ISO dial on Ms, but I hate it on Nikon Zfc, Zf, and Fujis.

[SrMi]

2 minutes ago, beewee said:

The M EV1 is pretty redundant with the SL3 and the only gain I see is a saving of a few hundred grams in weight and a slightly better optimized sensor for older M glass compared to the SL3.

When I hold an SL3 + adapter + M lens, it feels and looks considerably larger and heavier than M11 with an M lens.  An M system is inconspicuous. The SL3 system also takes significantly more space when traveling.

Edited 14 hours ago by SrMi

[beewee]

Just now, SrMi said:

When I hold an SL3 + adapter + M lens, it feels and looks considerably larger and heavier than M11 with an M lens. The SL3 system also takes significantly more space when traveling.

I get that, but would you pay $8k USD for a slightly smaller, less capable body if you already have an SL3? If anything, it would actually push me towards getting an M11-D.

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Hallo,

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[Derbyshire Man]

Essentially (as I've said all along) a good idea. For me, best for vintage lenses that flare and focus shift unexpectedly. Wides I can guesstimate or in desperation use the LCD.

I'm not a fan of focus peaking and hate magnification, so for me, to be a must purchase (instead of swapping annoyances), it needs to have a better focus indication system and especially a way of indicating that an eye is in focus. A Sony style 9mp EVF might make critical focus achievable without mag, not sure.

So for me it's in the zone of interesting second hand purchase at the moment rather than looking down the back of the sofa for cash.

Having said all of this, I've now got some experience with a rangefinder. I'm not sure what my choice would have been as a first purchase. I'm a monochrome shooter largely and therefore my first Leica was a used Q2M (manual focus, loved the WYSIWYG monochrome). The chance to have interchangeable lenses might have tipped me in this direction.

 

[SrMi]

43 minutes ago, beewee said:

I get that, but would you pay $8k USD for a slightly smaller, less capable body if you already have an SL3? If anything, it would actually push me towards getting an M11-D.

I was addressing only the weight/size argument. The cost argument is always very subjective. To answer your question: yes I would and yes I did. 😄