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Echi
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Thoughts on the Leica M EV1

So I attended the EV1 launch yesterday. Let me preface this write up by saying that I only got to handle it for a few minutes. I plan to borrow it at some point to get a more in depth feel.



Let me also add a bit of context by sharing the advice that I gave their product guy a couple of months prior to yesterday’s launch. I told him that the M EV1 makes commercial and practical sense. The former for Leica. The latter for its client base. Qualifying the latter, they have a lot of clients (aging at that) that have thrown their dice with the M system so it makes sense to optimize their “investment” on M lenses by enabling its enjoyment well beyond their 20/20 years. But that Leica also needs to address the issue of how to gain new (aka young) clients to the fold. For the launch, I suggested that they get 2 presenters who represent both demographics. We settled on a long time M client of theirs who also happens to be an eye doctor. Then they got a young wedding photographer to cover the other demographic.

I didn’t bother to listen to their presentations because we all know how friendly that was going to be. I talked to them individually afterwards. The older gent was a friend of mine and already had a couple of drinks so that was going to be interesting. The younger guy who I didn’t know was a bit more guarded but I got the impression that I was hoping I’d get with that demographic. Younger guy said that he primarily used a Q for weddings and that it was his first time to use any sort of M. So it’s probably a blessing in disguise that he doesn’t have any M experience. One has, the other hasn’t. Perfect so far. Back to younger guy, he said that he was surprised that he was able to acclimatize with it right away. And that strangely, it was able to keep up with his fast paced shooting style referring to his street/documentary approach to weddings. Great! What i wanted to hear.

As for the older gent, it was quite the reverse

There were no manuals that accompanied the unit when it came to him. He thought no big deal. It’s just an M but with no optical RF. Should be pretty straightforward. No. Hahaha! He had a hard time figuring out the focusing. And to think he also had a Q. At one point he was questioning whether there was something wrong with the camera or something wrong with him. But he figured it out eventually and said that it was ok. He goes on to say that just like in eye surgery, any sort of new procedure will take a bit of time to understand and appreciate. Well, he told me that it was what he said during the presentation.

Ok so you guys are probably getting an idea on where I’m going with this but let me throw in what others are saying as “scraped” by chatgpt before I infuse my 2 pixels worth

Pros:


Cons:


The pros and cons from the peanuts gallery seem to be generic enough with nothing out of the ordinary.

What I think:

1) Focusing


Going off from what I got from the eye doctor, Leica could have done a better job of paying attention to how to transition the old M folks into the EV1. Going in, I thought that as I rocked the focusing tab, the subject would correspondingly come into focus. Nope. It was about the use of focus peaking and magnification. That’s EVF naiveté on my part and I will acknowledge it. If I spent enough time with EVFs, my impression would have been more aligned. But putting that aside, it still did not address the fact that said eye doctor had to fiddle around with focusing and here’s why..

The Q uses a focus-by-wire system that is electronically linked to the lens. This means that when you use the Q’s lens on manual mode, it knows and will automatically engage focus peaking and magnification. With the M EV1, focusing is mechanical. So even if you’re rocking the focus tab, the camera doesn’t know that you are focusing. This means you have to assign buttons to both magnification and focus peaking OR just use the front lever (what used to be the frame selector) to activate both simultaneously.

I don’t know why they can’t zero in on these things from the get go. It’s just an extra step and yet could throw you off especially if the demo unit didn’t come with a manual. Come to think of it, I wonder if wedding guy experienced the same thing.

2) ISO button


This button used to be hidden in menus with the M9 and the M24x but made a return on the M10 and M11. Sensible, right? Well, it’s gone on the M EV1. Apparently, the built in EVF occupied that space where the ISO button used to be so they decided to sacrifice it not only for the EVF but also to keep it compact and maintain digital ergonomics.

3) SurPrice!


I know luxury, luxury, luxury. But still. Damn expensive. It comes to roughly 9500 USD and to think I used a more conservative exchange rate. The thing doesn’t have a lens or a mechanically complicated rangefinder system to “justify” the price. The Q is currently priced at what? 6500 USD in B&H? And the M11 is I think in the same ballpark as the M EV1 at 9000 USD in B&H. They should have at least priced it lower than the M11. During the show, there was already a couple on order so what do I know

Those are the only major nitpicks that I have with this camera.

Apart from that, it has the makings of a great travel camera especially when paired with a light lens from the summicron line. The form factor is still very M but more compact and lighter! Would I buy one? If the focusing process was satisfying, I’d consider it. But EVFs and focus peaking and magnification just don’t do it for me. But I’m not writing it off. I still have to put it though its paces to get a more informed conclusion.



Cheers,

Echi

P.S. All product photos are from DPReview