While the corner-placed viewfinder is quickly becoming a popular design for its mix of retro charm and compact form factor, few companies make a true rangefinder like Leica. But Leica’s newest addition to the M series isn’t technically a rangefinder. The Leica M EV1 is the M series’ first camera with an electronic viewfinder instead of an optical rangefinder.
Much of the specs on the Leica M EV1 read the same as the Leica M11-P, including the 60MP full frame sensor and M-mount. But what’s unusual about the EV1 is that it ditches Lecia’s longstanding rangefinder viewfinder for the electronic type commonly found on many mirrorless cameras.
Just the rumors of Leica’s M series gaining an electronic viewfinder put some photographers in a tizzy. And I get it – I really do. Leica’s M series is one of the few that retain the classic rangefinder method of focusing by superimposing two images together. When those two images line up, the photograph is in focus. Leica’s modern digital options in the M series pair that classic style of focusing with modern aids, including focus peaking and the ability to magnify that view for fine-tuning the focus.
The Leica M EV1 ditches that rangefinder for an electronic viewfinder. The camera is still manual focus only, still uses M-mount lenses, and still has a compact design with the viewfinder off to one side. But that viewfinder is now a tiny screen instead of the classic superimposed image rangefinder.
If Leica was abandoning the rangefinder viewfinder, photographers would have every reason to be outraged. But the Leica M EV1 will exist along with options like the M11-P, M11 Monochrom, and analog M6. The Leica M EV1 isn’t replacing an existing camera but serving as a new option. If you don’t like that Leica now has an electronic viewfinder in the M series, well, don’t buy it. The M11 isn’t being replaced by the EV1.
Leica says that an EVF is a frequent customer request, and I understand why. EVFs make a number of photography tasks easier, including previewing the exposure and the white balance. Now, I’m not under the illusion that an $8,995 / £6,840 camera with absolutely no autofocus whatsoever is a “beginner” camera. But I do think the EV1 may be easier to ease into for first-time M-series users.
Photographers looking for a luxury yet retro experience in a digital camera are still going to want to gravitate towards options like the M11-P. Leica’s first rangefinder, the Leica II, dates back to 1932. You can’t get more retro than Leica’s digital rangefinders without shooting actual film.
But the EV1 is going to ease photographers into the M series. Manually focusing with M-series lenses is daunting enough; the electronic viewfinder may feel less like a steep drop into the deep end.
I do think a hybrid viewfinder that incorporated both a rangefinder style and an electronic style would have made sense for the M series. But, that would probably be a bit too close to Fujifilm’s rangefinder-inspired viewfinder in options like the X100VI and X-Pro3.
The other reason that I love the EV1 exists? At $8,995 / £6,840, it’s still a luxury buy, but it’s more affordable than the M11-P.
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