Introduction

The Leica M line of cameras has always been less a spec sheet than a statement of intent. For decades, the optical rangefinder was what made the Leica M camera line unique with the bright-line framelines, coupled focusing, and the discipline that came with it.

The 2025 Leica M EV1 breaks this 70+ years old tradition with the replacement of the rangefinder mechanism with an integrated electronic viewfinder. It is literally, a different way to be an M camera with the immediacy of live view, peaking, and magnification built in. Whether that’s blasphemy or helpful depends on why you as a photographer pick up a Leica M camera in the first place.

Let us take a deeper look.

tl:dr

The photography world can be (too simplistically) divided into 2 camps, those who use a rangefinder camera and those who don’t. My first introduction to the rangefinder was around 7 years ago , and it took me a good 2 years to ‘accept’ the workings of rangefinder focusing and incorporate it into my photography.

Clarifying some of the online critique, the Leica M EV1 is not here to replace the M rangefinder line. I see this move rather as Leica’s acknowledgement of a group of M-users who find the concept of a EVF M practical, either due to deteriorating eyesight or a preference for more certainty of focus in use.

Some online comments about the Leica M EV1 to rage-bait for engagement seems designed to misinform and I hope to clarify some of these chatter too.

There are of course other alternative camera bodies with the convenience of electronic viewfinders which one can adapt a Leica M-lens to, and to ignore their existence would be narrow minded. These include Leica’s own SL line of cameras, Nikon’s Zf and on but end of the day, I am confident that there are some of us who will simply prefer to use a Leica for the sake of it, and, enjoy doing so and shouldn’t be ridiculed for making this decision.

If you are on the fence, Leica M photographers who love manual-focus lenses but want precise focus and real-time exposure preview without external finders; users of ultra-wide and macro lenses will benefit the most from the Leica M EV1.

Even using the EVF with Leica’s recent close-focusing M lenses is an instant benefit many reviewers fail to mention.

Technicalities

The Leica M EV1 is essentially a M11-class Leica M that swaps the optical rangefinder viewfinder for a 5.76-million-dot EVF with real-time exposure preview and modern focusing aid conveniences. It comes with the same 60.3MP triple-resolution full-frame sensor in M-mount and presents to Leica M users essentially a different way of ‘seeing’ and capturing the moment.

• Leica M-mount with a 60.3MP full-frame BSI CMOS sensor.
• Processor / ISO: Maestro III processor/ ISO 64–50,000.
• A 5.76 million dots EVF, up to 0.76X magnification with 60 fps refresh rate.
• A 3 inch, approximate 2.33 million dots TFT LCD.
• Continuous shooting at 4–4.5 fps
• 1× UHS-II SD slot with 64GB internal memory.
• No IBIS and no video capabilities.
• BP-SCL7 battery rated for approximately 244 shots.
• 484g with battery, lighter by the Leica M11-P (black) by 50 grams. Dimensions of 139 x 80 x 38 mm.
• Leica Content credentials (which at this point really boggles my mind in how Leica decides which M11 variant gets this)

Handling and Performance

Picking up the Leica M EV1, the silhouette is classic Leica M with its clean top plate, discreet controls, but the experience is unmistakably mirrorless the moment you lift it to your eye.

For the ones already accustomed to using a Leica M body, especially a M11 or M11-P, the familiarity extends from the placement of buttons down to the menu layout. The controls are familiar Leica: minimal menus, direct access to what matters, and the reassuring feel of milled metal.

The other major change other than the finder is the omission of the ISO dial on the left side, presumedly to make space for the EVF mechanism.

The viewfinder window and the diopter adjustment button reminds me of those on the Leica Q3 (my review here). Push and pop out the adjustment button to adjust between -4 and +2 diopters.

The EVF changes the rhythm of how you photograph.

To fully experience the Leica M EV1, an obvious test I wanted to do was to use it with the Noctilux 50mm ƒ0.95. I would have wanted to use it with an ultra-wide lens like the Leica M 21mm however I do not possess one but one of genuine upgrades with an EVF includes working with ultra-wide lenses.

(my second review of the Leica Noctilux 50mm ƒ0.95 is here)

On the Leica M EV1, you get exposure preview, focus peaking, and magnification without any external accessories. Having used the Noctilux 50mm ƒ0.95 with a rangefinder for a few years, this alone feels like a genuine quality-of-life upgrade especially in dim light.

The EVF makes precise focusing noticeably easier, especially for those who struggle with the rangefinder’s diopter limitations.

I usually use the Noctilux 50mm ƒ0.95 with the Visoflex 020 for added confidence and in comparison, the 2.4 MP resolution factually pales in comparison with the 5.76 MP EVF of the M EV1. I am not saying this is a must-have, but the fact is it indeed improves focusing accuracy and obviously, decreases the percentage of missed-focus shots.

In fact, the added confidence one gets with nailing the shot with the M EV1 is of course, an upgrade that specification sheets don’t talk about.

If you ever wanted a M-camera that allows you to photograph in dim light, the M EV1 is one such camera.

There has been this weird misconception that the Leica M EV1 is Leica’s first M without a rangefinder, which is false. A simple search will inform that the Leica 1963 MD based on the Leica M2 and the1966 MDa, and 1982 MD2 cameras based on the Leica M4 had no rangefinder mechanisms too.

Like many, I was impressed with say, Nikon’s implementation of manual focusing aids in the Nikon Zf (for example how it’s eye detection automatically maps the ‘zoomed in view’ during manual focusing to the eyes of the subject) and in this aspect, yes there is of course room for the Leica M EV1 to improve.

While the EVF helps immensely in closer than 0.7 meters focusing with Leica’s modern closer focusing lens like the APO Summicron 35mm or the Summilux 35mm ƒ1.4 FLE II. There are times where I felt the red-overlay of the focus peaking could be stronger and made clearer in the EVF too.

In all fairness, there is room for improvement in Leica’s implementation of the EVF on the M, and I believe firmware updates along the way will help.

Quite a proportion of the complaints I have read online don’t really pan out, for example some have lamented a total lack of control in choice of the ‘zoomed-in area’ during focusing. These commenters either have not touched the camera or have not even bothered to read the manual.

All you need to do is go to Menu –> Customise Controls –> Touch Mode — On.

And during focusing, if I have a point in the frame not at the center I will like the EVF to zoom in, I will use my finger to tap that spot on the back LCD, and then press the Fn button next to the shutter button or simply twist the focusing ring on the lens and that’s it. As simple as that.

Leica cameras already have one of the cleanest and least convoluted menus amongst camera brands, a few mins digging in to understand it surely wouldn’t hurt.

Output-wise the M EV1 is also no different from the M11-P or M11 cameras

While I will of course share samples from the Leica M EV1, the output from the M EV1 will be the same from the Leica M11-P and M11 cameras. (my review of the M11-P is linked here)

A frequently asked question is also, why not use the Visoflex or Live View instead?

which is legitimately a sound question. A quick answer will be that if you have used Leica’s Visoflex 020 or Visoflex 2 before, you will understand that the 2.4 MP and 3.7 MP resolution pales in comparison with the 5.76 MP EVF of the Leica M EV1, this is not including the lag one has to work with on the Visoflex. The use of Live View can be convenient but is limited, for example working under harsh light which gives one a very washed out screen to work with.

And of course, working with an EVF simply makes street-photography and capturing candid moments much easier. With practice, one can be very fast with the rangefinder but having it easier will not be a complaint I will make.

My review of the Summilux 35mm ƒ1.4 FLE II is here.

Conclusions

The Leica M EV1 is rightly named as it is not the same as the rangefinder-able M-camera line and a new camera line by itself. If you came to the Leica M system for the rangefinder itself: the outside-the-frame awareness, the optical coupling, the ritual etc, you’ll miss it in the Leica M EV1 and there are many M-cameras from the M8 to M11-P for you to choose from.

But if you are here for the lenses, the simplicity, the build, and you’ve longed for an integrated way to focus a Leica 21mm ƒ1.4 wide open or to work more confidently with the fastest M lenses, the Leica M EV1 finally feels like Leica acknowledging these use cases on the M body.

Like switching from a manual to an automatic car, the EVF on the Leica M EV1 offers helpful assistance, but it doesn’t guarantee a 100% hit rate. It still demands discipline and intentional use from the photographer. Only a fool will assume that the Leica M EV1 guarantees one hundred percent focused shots, but the Leica M EV1 does make the process easier for the photographer.

A lot of non-Leica M users will surely ask and debate over the question of “is the Leica M EV1 worth it”? On a spreadsheet, there are cheaper bodies that deliver more technology and can happily host your M-lens with different output results.

But Leica’s M cameras have never been spreadsheet cameras and while the Leica M EV1 trades the romance of frame-lines for the certainty of an EVF, it keeps the manual, stills-first soul intact. If this specific mix speaks to you, you’ll know the first time you line up a shot and watch focus peaking kiss your subject into clarity.

Like the Leica M rangefinder itself, the Leica M EV1 is not a camera meant for everyone, and as mentioned at the beginning, more of Leica’s respectful acknowledgement of this slice of users which will find meaning and value in this evolution of the Leica M camera.

Thank you for reading.

Oh! And one last thing I nearly forgot to mention.

The Leica M EV1 features a new, diamond-patterned leatherette coating just in case there are fans who pursue leatherette designs. This is not something that I am much bothered with.

Disclaimers:

1. All product photos and samples here were photographed by me. I believe any reviewer with pride should produce their own product photos. 

2. All images were shot with the Leica M EV1 or the M11-P. all lenses used are my personal sets with the Leica M EV1 a review set loaned from Leica Singapore.

3. This review is not sponsored.

4. I write as a passion and a hobby, and I appreciate that photography brands are kind enough to respect and work with me.

5. The best way to support me is to share the review, or you can always help support me by contributing to my fees to WordPress for the domain using the Paypal button at the bottom of the page.