FIRST IMPRESSIONS — LEICA EV-1 M

[Irakly Shanidze]

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5 hours ago, SrMi said:

Leica said that lower resolution is better for buffering (endless in 36MP with an appropriate SD card). A full buffer will cause camera delays.

But enough of that, or we can discuss it in a different thread. What everybody wants to hear is your techniques for shooting efficiently with M-EV1 (focusing, lower-resolution modes). You have obviously mastered using the M-EV1 in a way that some have deemed impossible.

Did you use continuous or single-shot modes?

lol, I didn't even think about the continuous mode. Continuous mode creates almost constant blackout, it's like shooting blindfolded

The most efficient way to use focus peaking for fine adjustment is to focus by hovering the body forward and aft instead of rotating the focus wheel, which I use only for coarse focusing. This is especially handy with lenses like Noctilux and some R lenses that have an exceptionally long focus throw. Shooting at f/1 affords the luxury of using very fast shutter speeds, which, in turn, makes it possible to shoot while moving with the subject. It requires some practice, but there is no magic in it.

In real-world situations, I did not find a difference between 18 and 36 MPix modes in terms of camera responsiveness. 60 MPix is noticeably slower and should be reserved only for something that really needs such a large file size. This is not just a matter of speed, but also media and power management. 60 MPix files fill up a 256GB card rather quickly. I have to experiment a bit more to state with certainty how much less power-hungry the camera is at lower resolutions, but I do feel that the battery lasts noticeably longer at 18MPix than at 60.

Another thing to discuss, which I will ultimately do in a separate thread, is noise reduction. Obviously, in-camera noise reduction does not affect DNG files, hence it has to be done in post. ISO 12500 with Lightroom AI denoise feature produces mind-blowingly smooth and detailed images. What's important is to set the manual Color NR to 0 to prevent LR from averaging out facial tones.

[SrMi]

18 minutes ago, Irakly Shanidze said:

lol, I didn't even think about the continuous mode. Continuous mode creates almost constant blackout, it's like shooting blindfolded

The most efficient way to use focus peaking for fine adjustment is to focus by hovering the body forward and aft instead of rotating the focus wheel, which I use only for coarse focusing. This is especially handy with lenses like Noctilux and some R lenses that have an exceptionally long focus throw. Shooting at f/1 affords the luxury of using very fast shutter speeds, which, in turn, makes it possible to shoot while moving with the subject. It requires some practice, but there is no magic in it.

In real-world situations, I did not find a difference between 18 and 36 MPix modes in terms of camera responsiveness. 60 MPix is noticeably slower and should be reserved only for something that really needs such a large file size. This is not just a matter of speed, but also media and power management. 60 MPix files fill up a 256GB card rather quickly. I have to experiment a bit more to state with certainty how much less power-hungry the camera is at lower resolutions, but I do feel that the battery lasts noticeably longer at 18MPix than at 60.

Another thing to discuss, which I will ultimately do in a separate thread, is noise reduction. Obviously, in-camera noise reduction does not affect DNG files, hence it has to be done in post. ISO 12500 with Lightroom AI denoise feature produces mind-blowingly smooth and detailed images. What's important is to set the manual Color NR to 0 to prevent LR from averaging out facial tones.

Thanks. What was you hit rate?

[Irakly Shanidze]

2 hours ago, SrMi said:

Thanks. What was you hit rate?

After setting focus peaking sensitivity to Low, about 80% during performance, and a bit less in the hectic environment of a social event. However, the ability to see the result right away really helped in correcting on the spot. 

[don daniel]

Am 13.11.2025 um 18:56 schrieb Irakly Shanidze:

What I am talking about here is the perceived shutter lag. I press the button, and the resulting image looks like I was late. 

This description rather suggests that the viewfinder display is delayed. So, it's not that the shutter is delayed. A delayed viewfinder display was also criticized with the SL3. Is it possible that the electronic viewfinder has less delay when selecting a medium-sized DNG as output than when selecting a large DNG? That would be quite practical in itself. I am considering whether to purchase an SL3 or an SL3-S. If the viewfinder delay were also lower with a reduced file size, I could still rely well on the SL3 in situations with movement and still have the option of the maximum resolution for quieter subjects. That is exactly what the recommended procedure here with the M-EV1 would be. Great pictures, by the way!

[Irakly Shanidze]

7 hours ago, don daniel said:

This description rather suggests that the viewfinder display is delayed. So, it's not that the shutter is delayed. A delayed viewfinder display was also criticized with the SL3. Is it possible that the electronic viewfinder has less delay when selecting a medium-sized DNG as output than when selecting a large DNG? That would be quite practical in itself. I am considering whether to purchase an SL3 or an SL3-S. If the viewfinder delay were also lower with a reduced file size, I could still rely well on the SL3 in situations with movement and still have the option of the maximum resolution for quieter subjects. That is exactly what the recommended procedure here with the M-EV1 would be. Great pictures, by the way!

This is entirely plausible. My experience supports that 100%. At 18 MP, I did not detect any lag with the subject matter described in my review. At 36 MP, it was negligible. SL3 exhibits similar behavior. Basically, I treat this as if Leica gave us the option to make high-resolution images when needed at the expense of speed. This is logical because, if you think about the subject matter and delivery platform for something that requires 60 MP of resolution, that would be something like a tabletop macro shot, or a still life, or a landscape.

[Smudgerer]

1 hour ago, Irakly Shanidze said:

This is entirely plausible. My experience supports that 100%. At 18 MP, I did not detect any lag with the subject matter described in my review. At 36 MP, it was negligible. SL3 exhibits similar behavior. Basically, I treat this as if Leica gave us the option to make high-resolution images when needed at the expense of speed. This is logical because, if you think about the subject matter and delivery platform for something that requires 60 MP of resolution, that would be something like a tabletop macro shot, or a still life, or a landscape.

This mirrors what I have found with the M11-D in the past year of ownership. Elsewhere on the Forum I have mentioned that after testing both the M11-D and my M11-M at all three resolutions I do favour the 18mp setting for a number of reasons, and that's where my M11's are locked into for 95% of what I shoot with them.

Edited November 17 by Smudgerer

[Flou]

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vor 10 Minuten schrieb Smudgerer:

This mirrors what I have found with the M11-D in the past year of ownership. Elsewhere on the Forum I have mentioned that after testing both the M11-D and my M11-M at all three resolutions I do favour the 18mp setting for a number of reasons, and that's where my M11's are locked into for 95% of what I shoot with them.

Curious about the reasons for using 18 mp  

[tonybill]

On 11/13/2025 at 11:51 PM, Irakly Shanidze said:

lol, I didn't even think about the continuous mode. Continuous mode creates almost constant blackout, it's like shooting blindfolded

The most efficient way to use focus peaking for fine adjustment is to focus by hovering the body forward and aft instead of rotating the focus wheel, which I use only for coarse focusing. This is especially handy with lenses like Noctilux and some R lenses that have an exceptionally long focus throw. Shooting at f/1 affords the luxury of using very fast shutter speeds, which, in turn, makes it possible to shoot while moving with the subject. It requires some practice, but there is no magic in it.

In real-world situations, I did not find a difference between 18 and 36 MPix modes in terms of camera responsiveness. 60 MPix is noticeably slower and should be reserved only for something that really needs such a large file size. This is not just a matter of speed, but also media and power management. 60 MPix files fill up a 256GB card rather quickly. I have to experiment a bit more to state with certainty how much less power-hungry the camera is at lower resolutions, but I do feel that the battery lasts noticeably longer at 18MPix than at 60.

Another thing to discuss, which I will ultimately do in a separate thread, is noise reduction. Obviously, in-camera noise reduction does not affect DNG files, hence it has to be done in post. ISO 12500 with Lightroom AI denoise feature produces mind-blowingly smooth and detailed images. What's important is to set the manual Color NR to 0 to prevent LR from averaging out facial tones.

Forgive me if I missed it but have you found a particular colour of focus peaking to be better than another? I'm finding blue with low sensitivity to be best so far, but that's very subjective.

[Smudgerer]

41 minutes ago, Flou said:

Curious about the reasons for using 18 mp  

A few of them........

First, personally I just like the look of the files at the lower resolutions, I have never been one for overly crisp clear images, I like "grit" in what I do whether with film or digital, one of the hangovers of growing up with, and never leaving behind, TriX / D76 I guess.

Secondly, file sizes. Buying the two M11's was expensive enough without having to upgrade my Macs to tough chew on them.

Thirdly the !!'s just run quicker with ingesting the smaller files, not much but enough to notice and digital lag is enough to make one go back to film, which mostly I have done these days anyway having sold off what other digital M's I had this year and just keeping the 11D/11M..

Fourth and last for now I see no sense at all in chasing higher and higher sensor resolutions, especially so with an M camera used within the style parameters it was designed for. I'd really love to see a vastly improved 24mp sensor in the M camera line, but that dog's eaten the budgie and left home.                   

[Irakly Shanidze]

10 hours ago, Flou said:

Curious about the reasons for using 18 mp  

It is 24 MP, where the human retina maxes out. What I mean is, an image of any size is best seen from a fixed distance on that side. For any distance, you won't be able to resolve above 24 MP. It just so happens, one of my main clients is the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute, and I've discussed this at length with people who study the fovea. That is the reason why Leica M10, SL, and SL2-S are 24 MP. Everything above that is either special purpose or marketing.

On the hardware level, 18MP on M11 and M EV-1 has the widest dynamic range, which translates into the most eye-pleasing tonal rolloff.

On the common sense level, imagine you are flying a fighter jet, and you see an enemy reconnaissance drone hovering nearby. You have six AMRAAM missiles under your wings, $1.3 million a pop, and a laser-guided 20mm cannon filled with 1200 $200 rounds. What are you going to shoot it with? So... Your M11 or M EV-1, for that matter, is like that jet fighter that has different types of weapons meant for different types of targets. Use them wisely.

[Irakly Shanidze]

10 hours ago, tonybill said:

Forgive me if I missed it but have you found a particular colour of focus peaking to be better than another? I'm finding blue with low sensitivity to be best so far, but that's very subjective.

I use red in the low-sensitivity mode. Blue is too distracting for me.

[SrMi]

35 minutes ago, Irakly Shanidze said:

On the hardware level, 18MP on M11 and M EV-1 has the widest dynamic range, which translates into the most eye-pleasing tonal rolloff.

The dynamic range is the same in all resolution modes.

P.S.: Dynamic range is always measured at the same output size, not at the pixel level.

37 minutes ago, Irakly Shanidze said:

It is 24 MP, where the human retina maxes out.

That does not make sense. The effect of resolution depends on the output size. If you look at Burtynsky's images, you will understand why he shoots with 100- and 150MP cameras.

 

[Irakly Shanidze]

25 minutes ago, SrMi said:

The dynamic range is the same in all resolution modes.

P.S.: Dynamic range is always measured at the same output size, not at the pixel level.

That does not make sense. The effect of resolution depends on the output size. If you look at Burtynsky's images, you will understand why he shoots with 100- and 150MP cameras.

 

I know what it means. I used to shoot a 100 MP back for work. If you are carrying this conversation for the sake of learning the truth rather than winning the argument at all costs, I can give you a couple of references so you can talk to people who do retina research for a living.

And this is directly from Leica: "Each image resolution uses the full image sensor, so by downscaling images (pixel binning), you can achieve more dynamic range". DPReview's hands-on test confirmed 14 stops at 60MP and 15 stops at 36 and 18 MP.

The dynamic range is a property of a sensor, and it is the difference between the noise floor and the maximum measurable signal (pixel saturation). In the case of M11, SL3, and M EV-1, the lower resolution is the consequence of combining data from adjacent pixels, which increases the signal-to-noise ratio and thereby lowers the noise floor.

Edited November 18 by Irakly Shanidze

[SrMi]

17 minutes ago, Irakly Shanidze said:

I know what it means. I used to shoot a 100 MP back for work. As to Dynamic range, DPReview's hands-on test confirmed 14 stops at 60MP and 15 stops at 36 and 18 MP.
And this is directly from Leica: "Each image resolution uses the full image sensor, so by downscaling images (pixel binning), you can achieve more dynamic range".

You will not find any reference to pixel binning in any Leica material anymore. 

Downscaling always reduces noise. If you downscale a 60MP raw file to 18MP, it will have the same dynamic range as the 18MP raw file.

DPReview was quoting initial Leica marketing, which was incorrect and has since been removed from the latest Leica information available. 

[SrMi]

1 hour ago, Irakly Shanidze said:

The dynamic range is a property of a sensor, and it is the difference between the noise floor and the maximum measurable signal (pixel saturation).

Yes, the dynamic range is a property of a sensor, mainly the sensor size and technology used. Resolution or pixel pitch plays negligible role in dynamic range as all DR comparisons are done at the same output size.

[Irakly Shanidze]

38 minutes ago, SrMi said:

You will not find any reference to pixel binning in any Leica material anymore. 

Downscaling always reduces noise. If you downscale a 60MP raw file to 18MP, it will have the same dynamic range as the 18MP raw file.

DPReview was quoting initial Leica marketing, which was incorrect and has since been removed from the latest Leica information available. 

https://www.provideocoalition.com/the-new-leica-m11-with-60-36-and-18mp-pixel-binning-like-a-smartphone/#:~:text=Filmtools,highest resolution and image quality.

[Irakly Shanidze]

9 minutes ago, SrMi said:

Yes, the dynamic range is a property of a sensor, mainly the sensor size and technology used. Resolution or pixel pitch plays negligible role in dynamic range as all DR comparisons are done at the same output size.

Please define "output size" and kindly tell me how you can compare DR at the same output size of two files of different sizes?

Pixel pitch and resolution are two different things, as we all know, and while pixel pitch in itself plays no role, the pixel size absolutely does, because it is the size of the pixel that defines its maximum capacity and the noise floor, doesn't it?
 

[Smogg]

19 minutes ago, Irakly Shanidze said:

https://www.provideocoalition.com/the-new-leica-m11-with-60-36-and-18mp-pixel-binning-like-a-smartphone/#:~:text=Filmtools,highest resolution and image quality.

This link only shows commercials and provides no evidence of the usefulness of pixel binning. A completely identical effect can be achieved with downscaling in post-processing.

[Irakly Shanidze]

56 minutes ago, SrMi said:

You will not find any reference to pixel binning in any Leica material anymore. 

Downscaling always reduces noise. If you downscale a 60MP raw file to 18MP, it will have the same dynamic range as the 18MP raw file.

DPReview was quoting initial Leica marketing, which was incorrect and has since been removed from the latest Leica information available. 

I received a response from Leica clarifying the issue. Yes, what they call "digital pixel aggregation" is a processing algorithm rather than analog pixel binning on a sensor level. However, the end result is indistinguishable. Yes, lowering the resolution results in a higher signal-to-noise ratio and, as a result, effectively, an additional stop of DR.

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[Smogg]

In my opinion, the only benefit of using a reduced resolution when using Leica M11 series cameras is the smaller file size, which allows the relatively archaic processor to handle the load without annoying pauses, lags, and inadequate performance in continuous hi mode.