Introduction

Ease of Use

The M EV1 features a full-metal housing made of magnesium with an aluminium top plate and black leatherette covering with a new diamond pattern.

The dimensions of the M EV1 are virtually identical to the M11 model, measuring 140mm x 80mm x 38mm (5.5 x 3.2 x 1.5 inches). It weighs in at 495g / 1.09lb including the battery and 413g / 0.91lb without.

There is nothing resembling a traditional handgrip provided with the camera at all, just a raised thumb-shaped rest on the rear. Having said that, the solidity and weight of the M EV1's build means that it didn't feel like the camera would suddenly slip from our grasp at any point.

Special rubber seals provide some protection against light showers and dust, although Leica stop short of claiming that the M EV1 is fully weatherproof.

The Leica M EV1 has the same 60 megapixel full-frame BSI (BackSide-Illuminated) CMOS sensor that was first developed especially for the M11 camera.

In conjunction with the Maestro III image processor, this allows the M EV1 to output 14-bit raw files with a claimed dynamic range of up to 15 stops, provide an extensive ISO range of 64-50,000, and shoot 60 megapixel images at 4.5fps.

It also has a special IR + UV cut filter in front of the sensor which corrects even the most oblique rays of incident light and a colour filter array that offers more natural colour reproduction than previous M-system cameras.

Whilst 60 megapixels will undoubtedly be a big draw for potential owners of this camera, Leica have also sensibly provided two smaller 36 and 18 megapixel modes which help avoid some of the processing and storage challenges of the 60 megapixel mode while also boosting the burst shooting buffer times.

In addition the smaller modes are claimed to also offer improved dynamic range and noise levels because of the unique pixel binning process.

So the M EV1 can be set to record 60, 36 or 18 megapixels DNG Raw images, either using the full sensor area or alternatively incorporating a 1.3x or 1.8x digital zoom for the latter two modes, something that Leica call "Triple Resolution Technology".

Another welcome change connected to the image sensor is the way in which the M EV1 meters light. Previous models used a very basic centre-weighted metering system when using the camera in rangefinder mode, whereas the M EV1 additionally offers multi-field and spot metering in all modes.

Speaking of the shutter curtain, the M EV1 is the latest M-series camera to offer an electronic shutter in addition to its traditional mechanical shutter.

This allows it to offer a top shutter speed of 1/16000th second in addition to the 1/4000th second speed when using the mechanical shutter, which in turn allows you to shoot both completely silently without vibration and also shoot at wide-open apertures in bright sunlight using the fastest Leica lenses without having to employ an ND filter.

The M EV1 doesn't provide any form of image stabilisation, either in the camera body or in the M-series lenses. Leica have made one key improvement, though, which makes focusing in live view mode easier than before, namely the addition of electronic stabilization to the magnified view when using the rear LCD or EVF.

As the model name indicates, potential purchasers of the M EV1 get to avail themselves of around 50 directly compatible lenses in Leica’s current M range – which it believes should allow photographers to fully exploit the potential for detail denoted by that 60MP chip – plus many more from the past besides; thanks to the M-mount having been around since 1954.

Leica’s R series lenses can further be used with the camera – albeit via an adapter accessory. So there’s a lot of very high ‘quality’ glass that can be married to the sensor provided, should you already own some or your budget can stretch to it.

Videographers will want to look elsewhere however, as the Leica M EV1 is a dedicated stills camera without any facility for filming whatsoever; leading some commentators to opine that it feels like a camera from the 1950s. But perhaps, the ‘modern’ advantage of digital innovation aside, that’s largely the point.

The front of the Leica M EV1 is adorned with the famous red Leica badge and logo directly above the lens. Top-left of the lens, if viewing the camera front-on, is a rectangular porthole containing the traditional AF assist/self timer lamp.

A silver lens release button is on the left-hand side of the lens mount, and over on the right is the very traditional frame-line selection lever. On the M11 this was used to preview bright-line frames, but on this model it can be assigned to one of the focus assists or the 1.3x or 1.8x digital zoom.

A configurable function button is found on the M EV1's top-plate alongside the shutter button, which when pressed displays a magnified view on the LCD screen to aid with precise focusing adjustment.

Squeeze the shutter release button in single shot mode to take a maximum 60 megapixel resolution photo and the screen instantly displays the resultant image. Take a top quality JPEG and Leica's 'DNG' file version of Raw and the camera isn't any noticeably slower, with the advantage of the DNG format that it can be opened directly by Photoshop without any specialist conversion software required.

Even better, thanks to a generous 3GB buffer memory, the M EV1 is capable of sequential shooting at up to 4.5 frames per second at full 60mp resolution for up to 15 Raw files. If you want to shoot at 4.5fps for longer, dropping down to M-DNG/36MP increases the buffer to 30 Raw files, and down again to S-DNG/18MP provides unlimited shooting, even when shooting RAW.

The M EV1 has a dedicated top-plate dial via which manual adjustments can be made to the shutter speed, ranging from 8 seconds to 1/4000th of a sec, with Bulb and Auto options too.

There is a vacant hotshoe for an accessory flash on top of the camera. The shutter release button is threaded for a traditional screw-in quick release cable, and is encircled by the On/Off switch, with the camera taking about a second to ready itself for shooting.

The M EV1 loses the top-mounted ISO setting dial found over on the left of the M11 camera because of the new EVF integration, so you'll either need to delve into the quick menu or use the reliable Auto ISO settings.

One press of the Menu button opens the customisable control panel which shows the current key camera settings with two rows of six icons displayed underneath, including the last which then dives into the menu system proper.

Compared to the multitude of options that other manufacturer's cameras offer, the Leica M EV1's main menu is refreshingly pared back. Annoyingly, although you can directly interact with the control panel via the LCD screen, you can't also use the touch-screen interface to navigate through the menu or select options, instead relying on the navigation wheel/arrows.

The size of the back plate LCD screen is 3-inches and the resolution is a respectable 2.3 million pixels. With the 3-inch LCD screen taking up about two thirds of the back plate, this leaves room for a column of 3 square buttons ranged down the left hand side of the screen, whilst over at the right hand side sits a familiar cross key/command pad style arrangement.

The buttons at the left of the LCD are both clearly marked and instantly comprehended. From the top we have a Play button for reviewing previously captured images, a configurable FN button which by default accesses the Live View mode, and a Menu button for opening the customisable Favorites menu and and the Main Menu system.

Above the LCD screen is the brand new 5.76 megapixel electronic viewfinder which replaces the traditional optical viewfinder and rangefinder mechanism. It offers 100% frame coverage, 0.79x magnification and 60fps refresh rate.

You can set it to automatically switch between viewfinder and touch panel using the built-in eye sensor. There is an integrated dioptre compensation wheel alongside the EVF which allows an adjustment between -4 and +2 dioptres.

Three different focusing aids are provided on the Leica M EV1 - auto magnification (x3 or x6), focus peaking and auto magnification plus focus peaking.

The Leica M EV1 features a thumb-operated customisable command dial over at the top right which with a single push by default allows you to set the exposure compensation, with adjustable settings ranging from a standard -3EV to + 3EV. This dial also zooms into the magnified live view and magnifies images in playback mode.

The set of un-marked cross keys on the right of the LCD screen moves the magnification loupe freely around the frame for even better assessment of sharpness, either on the LCD or the electronic viewfinder.

In the centre of the cross-keys we find an un-marked button which acts like a standard 'display' button. A press of this in capture mode removes the icons for the shooting mode in play, number of shots remaining, battery life, focus and metering mode from the screen to provide a clearer view of the subject.

The left and right hand flanks of the M EV1 are devoid of any features save for metal lugs for attaching the shoulder strap.

The base of the Leica M EV1 has a screw thread that's perfectly inline with the centre of the lens mount, with the catch protected battery compartment housing both the supplied BP-SCL7 1800mAh lithium-ion battery, good for around 244 shots in accordance with the CIPA Standard when using the LCD screen and 237 when only using the EVF, and the SD card slot alongside it.

Eagle-eyed readers and avid Leica fans will note that the M EV1 has omitted the traditional removable base plate in favour of a dedicated compartment which provides more direct access to the battery and UHS-II SD card, something that purists may not like but which does undoubtedly help to speed up the camera's operation.

In addition to the SD card slot, the Leica M EV1 offers a generous internal storage capacity of 64 gigabytes, with the option to use it either sequentially, as a backup, or even for recording Raw files to one and JPEGs to the other.

Alongside is a USB-C slot that allows the camera to be charged using most USB-C chargers and out in the field using an external powerbank. The M EV1's battery can also be charged externally via the dedicated USB-C Leica charger that's provided in the box.

The other main benefit offered by the USB-C port is the ability to to establish a wired connection between the Apple “Made for iPhone and iPad” certified M EV1 and an iPhone or iPad using the provided Leica FOTOS cable.

This automatically opens the Leica FOTOS app which provides all the same functionality that's available through a wi-fi connection, just with the added reliability and increased speed of the physical cable.

The main caveats are that the Leica USB-C to Lightning cable obviously only works with Apple iOS devices and not Android, and Leica's unique cable can only be used with the M EV1 and not for charging or syncing other Lightning devices.

Like the M11-P and M11-D, the Leica M EV1 supports Content Credentials, technology by the Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI) which adds a digital signature to images to help verify their origins and any post-processing.

Rather strangely, the 'Leica Content Credentials' option appears first in the main menu system, which means that you always have to navigate past a setting that you'll rarely use once set in order to access the rest of the main menu.

The Leica M EV1 features built-in Bluetooth 4.2 BR/EDR/LE and dual-band 2.4/5Ghz 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wave2 Wi-Fi 5 connectivity for wirelessly connecting to other devices such as a smartphone, tablet or computer.

You can easily transfer your images and also control the camera remotely via the free Leica Fotos app, which, amongst other functions, allows remote setting of the shutter speed and aperture and also allows you to send your images to social networks or email them.

Image Quality

All of the sample images in this review were taken using the 60 megapixel Large setting, which produces an average image size of around 20Mb for JPEGs and 85Mb for RAW files.

The Leica M EV1 recorded still images of excellent quality during the review period.

This camera produces noise-free JPEG images at ISO 64 up to ISO 1600, with some noise appearing at ISO 3200. The faster settings of ISO 6400 through to 12500 are still usable, although we'd suggest avoiding both ISO 25000 and 50000 if at all possible. The corresponding Raw files have much less obvious colour artifacts but are noticeably less sharp than their JPEG equivalents.

Noise

ISO sensitivity can be set between ISO 64 and ISO 50000 in full-stop increments. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each ISO setting, with JPEG on the left and RAW on the right.

JPEG	RAW
ISO 64 (100% Crop)	ISO 64 (100% Crop)
ISO 200 (100% Crop)	ISO 200 (100% Crop)
ISO 400 (100% Crop)	ISO 400 (100% Crop)
ISO 800 (100% Crop)	ISO 800 (100% Crop)
ISO 1600 (100% Crop)	ISO 1600 (100% Crop)
ISO 3200 (100% Crop)	ISO 3200 (100% Crop)
ISO 6400 (100% Crop)	ISO 6400 (100% Crop)
ISO 12500 (100% Crop)	ISO 12500 (100% Crop)
ISO 25000 (100% Crop)	ISO 25000 (100% Crop)
ISO 50000 (100% Crop)	ISO 50000 (100% Crop)

Film Styles

Leica's Film Styles are preset combinations of different sharpness, contrast and saturation settings, for JPEGs only. The Leica M EV1's five available Film Styles are shown below in the following series, which demonstrates the differences between them. You can also tweak the preset styles so that you can create your own particular look, although you can't create brand new ones.

Standard

Vivid

Natural

Monochrome

Monochrome High Contrast

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Leica M EV1 camera, which were all taken using the 60 megapixel Large JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Sample RAW Images

The Leica M EV1 enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files. We've provided some Leica RAW (DNG) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative).

Product Images

Conclusion

The M EV1 is an audacious attempt to expand the appeal of the Leica M-System to a wider audience, but ultimately it takes more away from the overall experience than it adds to it.

Directly quoting Leica's press release for the M EV1, "By introducing an EVF to the M-Camera, Leica is fulfilling a frequent customer request and expanding the range of applications for seasoned M users. Thanks to its intuitive operation, new customers will also find it easier to delve into world of the M-System."

Meeting customer needs is obviously commendable, but do seasoned M users actually benefit from having an EVF? Surely they're the user group that are most at home with and most appreciative of the traditional rangefinder experience?

And while implementing an EVF does bring some operational benefits, most notably when using wider-angle or telephoto lenses, it also makes the M EV1 less intuitive than the M11 for both seasoned and new users alike, with the removal of the ISO dial and much shorter battery life proving particularly problematic.

In our review we concluded that the M11 was "the best ever Leica M digital rangefinder' but "still an incredibly niche product that isn't going to win over too many new converts". The new M EV1 is not the best Leica M digital rangefinder, and it still won't win over too many new converts.

The EVF just doesn't add enough to or is different enough from the M11's optical viewfinder - at its heart this is still a pared-back, slow-to-use camera that you have to meticulously manually focus, so we'd recommend sticking to the M11 if that's what you really want.

The Q3 with its EVF, autofocusing, faster burst shooting and video capabilities makes a lot more sense as a potential Leica camera for people switching from another mirrorless system, and it's a lot cheaper than the M EV1 too.

Ultimately the Leica M EV1 is still an incredibly refined, pared-back tool that's strictly for stills photographers who favour a slightly slower approach to their craft, just like the M11, but again we can't really see it greatly expanding the M-series user-base, despite being a different kind of M-system camera. For us, the M EV1 is much less a controversial release by Leica and much more an unnecessary one...

Ratings (out of 5)
Design	4
Features	4
Ease-of-use	3.5
Image quality	5
Value for money	3

Main Rivals

Listed below are some of the rivals of the Leica M EV1.

Review Roundup

Reviews of the Leica M EV1 from around the web.

Specifications

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