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Leica is announcing a new type of M-mount camera, its first that’s not actually a rangefinder. The new M EV1 is based on the M11-P from 2023, but it strips out the traditional rangefinder in favor of a 5.76-million dot electronic viewfinder — hence the omitted viewfinder window on its front. The new camera is launching in Europe and other markets today for €7,950, and coming to the US at a later time due to an FCC delay, where it’s expected to run $8,995.
Since the M EV1 is based on the M11-P, it has the same processor, 60-megapixel full-frame sensor, 64GB of internal storage, and support for Content Credentials. That also means that, like other M11 cameras, the M EV1 does not record video at all. Without the rangefinder assembly, and with an aluminum construction like the black M11, the M EV1 weighs 484 grams (or 1.07 pounds) without a lens attached. That’s 46 grams lighter, about the weight of one golf ball.
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1 / 4 The red dot logo is as prominent as ever.
The M EV1 is still manual focus like a traditional rangefinder. However, instead of focusing by aligning images in a patch in the center of an optical viewfinder, you see and focus through the lens on the half-inch EVF or 2.95-inch rear LCD. And just like any other mirrorless camera, you can get a live exposure preview and use focusing aids like focus peaking and magnification.
A live view through the lens makes using ultrawide and telephoto lenses on a Leica M much easier. Any lens wider than 28mm (which Leica makes a variety of in M-mount) normally required some kind of external finder, and 90mm focal lengths or longer could be hard to accurately focus. Full-time live view also allows easier close-focusing for recent M lenses that go shorter than the traditional 0.7 meter minimum focus limitation — or when adapting a macro lens from another manufacturer.
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