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Leica M EV1: two-minute review
The Leica M EV1 concept is polarizing: strip out the optical rangefinder that Leica M cameras have been famed for for over 70 years, and replace it with an electronic viewfinder (EVF).
You’d think the whole experience of taking photos with the M EV1 would be wildly different – but in fact, in many ways it isn’t.
Technically speaking, the Leica M EV1 shares many similarities with the Leica M11 / M11-P and Leica Q3 / Q3 43) – all use Leica’s 60MP full-frame sensor, which delivers essentially the most detailed images amongst full-frame cameras.
Like a Leica Q3 / Q3 43 premium compact however with Leica’s M mount, the brand new EV1 felt fairly intuitive to me right away, as I’ve used different Leica M collection and Leica Q collection cameras extensively.
I can see the enchantment for a lot of Leica followers already in camp M EV1 – it has helpful components of Leica’s Q collection (minus autofocus, tilt display screen and video recording), mixed with the flexibility of the Leica M mount and a large selection of lenses. The better of each worlds, then.
On the plus side, the EVF offers focus peaking, which is an extremely useful visual aid for manual focusing; trust me, it will increase your percentage of sharp shots compared to being guided by Leica’s optical rangefinder, at least when you’re manually focusing in the moment, rather than sticking to a set focus distance as some street photographers do.
Build-wise, there’s greater similarity with the M11 – not just the M mount and interchangeable lenses, but also the control layout and fixed rear screen, although I’d rather have more Q3 attributes in the design.
For me, the Q3’s tilt screen is super-useful – I generally find myself switching between the viewfinder and rear screen, and I enjoy waist-level shooting for street photography, for which a tilt screen is hugely useful.
That meant I used the 5.76m-dot viewfinder more often with the EV1, and thankfully it works a treat. Rangefinder-style cameras like the EV1 are fairly inconspicuous too, making them ideal for street photography.
All that said, as a package the M EV1 makes less sense. Sure, it costs less than the M11, but it costs more than the Q3, which is much more camera, with its built-in lens, autofocus, tilt screen and video recording. It’s a natural comparison when you take the optical rangefinder out of the equation.
The M EV1 makes sense in some ways, especially if you already own multiple Leica lenses, but if you’re starting out, or generally shoot with one or two lenses, it doesn’t.
Beyond such considerations, though, I have to go with my gut, having used the camera extensively with the Leica 35mm f1.4 Summilux-M Asph lens for a week. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Yes, it feels slightly less organic than the M11, but if you don’t mind an EVF then the EV1 feels like the new Leica M camera to go for.
Leica M EV1: price and release date
- Costs $8,995 / £6,840 (Australia price TBC) for the body only
- Additional leatherette hand grip costs $460 / £340
- Available from October 23, 2025
Price-wise, the Leica M EV1 sits in between the Leica M11 and Leica Q3, which makes sense because an EVF is cheaper to manufacture than an optical rangefinder.
Ultimately, the EV1’s list price makes the Q3 / Q3 43 feel like much better value, especially if you’re not going to be swapping lenses a lot. The Q3 is much the same camera, for less, with additional features – and you get a built-in lens.
With the EV1, you’re paying for the luxury of being able to swap lenses, and every Leica lens costs in the thousands.
Personally, if I had a spare $14,000 / £12,000 for Leica camera gear, I’d rather pick up both the Leica Q3 and Leica Q3 43 over the EV1 with a lens such as the 35mm f/1.4 Summilux, which together cost the same as two Q3s.
Leica M EV1: specs
|
Video |
N/A |
|
Photo |
60MP full-frame |
|
Lens mount |
Leica M |
|
Autofocus |
N/A – manual focus only |
|
Screen |
2.95-inch fixed touchscreen, 2.3m-dot |
|
Viewfinder |
5.76m-dot EVF |
|
Weight |
17oz / 484g (body, including battery) |
|
Battery |
244 shots (Leica BP-SCL7) |
Leica M EV1: Design
- Compact rangefinder design
- 5.76m-dot EVF instead of an optical rangefinder
- Modest-size 2.95-inch fixed touchscreen
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The obvious place to start when talking about the M EV1’s design is its viewfinder, which is the same 5.76m-dot EVF found in the Leica Q3. It’s also placed in the corner of the camera where the rangefinder traditionally sits, easily accessed with your right eye.
I was shooting with Leica’s 35mm f/1.4 Summilux lens for this test, often wide open at f/1.4 where depth of field is really shallow, and getting sharp manual focus is historically a challenge with Leica M cameras. This changes somewhat with the M EV1.
Focus peaking is indeed supremely helpful for this manual focus-only camera, outlining the hard edges of your subject that’s in focus – I had the camera set to red focus peaking, which in general is the color most easily seen.
Focus magnification gives you a closer look too, making it much easier to make fine adjustments. My ratio of in-focus shots has been much higher using the M EV1 than I would expect with a camera like the M11.
As a rangefinder-style camera, the EV1 is really compact, plus the shutter action is dampened for minimal vibration and noise, making for discreet picture taking.
The 2.95-inch rear screen feels a little on the small side, and being fixed it’s less useful that a moveable screen, say a tilt or vari-angle type. The quality and feel of the display is top-drawer, though – with 2.3m dots it’s packed with detail, and touch response feels smooth.
With the screen being less useful than I would like – I prefer the Q3’s tilt screen – I leaned more into using the viewfinder, which is a lovely experience, even if traditionalists will turn their nose up at such a digital display.
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Like all high-end Leica M cameras, the EV1 is made in Germany and the body is fully metal – both aluminum and magnesium, with a leatherette finish. This is a classy bit of gear.
The style, profile and control layout of the EV1 are largely familiar – this feels like an M11, save for the omission of an ISO dial (which is a real shame) and of course that new type of viewfinder. I’m a fan of minimalist design, and thoroughly enjoyed shooting with the EV1.
Leica M EV1: Performance
- Same 60MP sensor as the M11 and Q3, with digital crops
- Manual focus only
- No video recording
If you want a detail-rich full-frame camera there are none better than those that use this 60MP sensor, as Leica’s current crop of M cameras do, along with the Sony A7R V.
Leica affords two digital crop modes: 1.3x and 1.8x, with a decreased 36MP and 18MP decision respectively. With the 35mm lens, these crops give a perspective equal to 45mm and 63mm lenses.
Burst-shooting prime speeds are a modest 4.5fps. The buffer reminiscence is rated to 3GB, which suggests you may shoot 15 full-size uncooked recordsdata or 100 JPEGs at that prime velocity earlier than the digicam slows up, assuming you are utilizing a high-speed UHS-II SD card.
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The ISO sensitivity vary begins at ISO 64 and tops out at ISO 50,000, so photographs taken in good mild with the bottom ISO are significantly clear and crisp.
Leica makes use of the broadly adopted DNG uncooked format, with a 14-bit output and a restricted variety of coloration profiles to select from – I primarily caught to straightforward profile, and made coloration edits to uncooked recordsdata afterwards.
Sticking with the Leica M ethos, the EV1 would not shoot video in any respect. For video recording with a Leica, you may have to look to the Leica Q collection.
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Following the Leica M11-P, the EV1 is supplied with content material credentials, which is essentially the most broadly adopted trade normal for authenticating the origin of digital photographs. It does so by way of a safe digital label, holding particulars similar to names, dates, and any edits made to a picture’s metadata.
GPS geotagging information will also be added to pictures by way of the Leica Fotos app, which is accessible on the Apple retailer and Google Play store for iPhone and Android gadgets. It’s additionally attainable to wirelessly switch photographs to your system from the M EV1 by way of the app, in addition to remotely management the digicam.
At the time of writing the EV1 is not registered on the app as I’ve been utilizing it prelaunch, however I’ve loads of expertise with the app, similar to with the screen-less M11-D, and it is one of many extra dependable and pain-free app experiences from main digicam manufacturers.
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Battery life, I need to say, is fairly poor by at the moment’s requirements, rated as much as 244 photographs. It’s little surprise provided that the digicam makes use of Leica’s BP-SCL7 battery with its modest 1,800mAh capability.
Still, the M EV1 is not the sort of high-speed pictures and video-making heavyweight with which customers would shortly drain a battery. The pictures course of right here is gradual and regarded, and as such I sometimes obtained by way of a complete day with no need to cost the battery (which is finished by way of the USB-C port on the underside of the digicam).
Leica M EV1: additionally take into account
How I examined the Leica M EV1
- Leica loaned me the M EV1 for every week forward of its launch
- I had one lens to check it with – the Leica 35mm f1.4 Summilux-M Asph
- I’ve used the M EV1 as an on a regular basis digicam, documenting the world round me
My expertise with the Leica M EV1 was splendidly easy. I had it shut at hand for a complete week forward of the worldwide announcement, with the Leica 35mm f1.4 Summilux-M Asph lens hooked up to it the entire time.
I’m a fan of this lens for reportage pictures, and naturally discovered myself documenting the world round me, principally making use of the EVF and focus peaking to manually focus.
Of course, there is a respectable vary of Leica M lenses to select from, taking advantage of the M EV1’s design benefits over the Leica Q3 premium compact with its fastened lens.