The Leica M EV1 is the latest offering in the M rangefinder camera series. The M EV1 is the first Leica M with an integrated electronic viewfinder. The whole concept behind the camera was to blend modern mirrorless technology with the old school Leica M design.
Key features
- First M Camera with Integrated EVF
- 60MP Full-Frame BSI CMOS Sensor
- Leica Content Credentials Technology
- FN Button & Focus Assist Settings
- 5.76m-Dot 0.76x-Mag. OLED Viewfinder
- 2.95″ Touchscreen with Gorilla Glass
- 64GB Internal Memory and SD UHS-II Slot
- ISO 64-50,000, up to 4.5 fps Shooting
- Wi-Fi & USB-C, Dedicated FOTOS App
- Lightweight Aluminum Top Plate
EVF
The new EVF includes features such as focus peaking, magnification, and digital zoom frame lines. Real-time preview means the image you see in the viewfinder appears exactly as the image will be captured, no matter the lens, focal length, or focus distance. Key settings such as aperture, ISO, and shutter speed are displayed in the viewfinder.
Because of its lack of an optical viewfinder, the M EV1 has a clear front with no rangefinder window for a sleeker, minimalistic design
FN switch
The camera also gains an FN switch, which is located on the front of the camera and is programmable, so users can easily change their viewfinder display. This can be used to initiate and cycle through any of the EVF display features.
Sensor
The M EV1 features a 60.3 Megapixel (9528 x 6328) 35.8 x 23.9 mm (Full-Frame) BSI CMOS sensor. It is claimed to provide superb sharpness and image quality, with a claimed dynamic range of 15 stops. The camera also utilizes the Maestro III image processor.
Triple Resolution Technology
This unique pixel binning process allows photographers to select 60MP, 36MP, or 18MP output, with each resolution making use of the full sensor area and providing rich 14-bit color. By pixel binning, rather than cropping, the lower resolutions have improved dynamic range and noise levels:
- 60MP: 14 stops of dynamic range, highest resolution
- 36MP: 15 stops of dynamic range, best balance of resolution and noise
- 18MP: 15 stops of dynamic range, lowest noise levels
The sensor’s physical design also includes an updated ultra-thin dual-layer filter glass, which absorbs UV and IR wavelengths for greater clarity and more accurate rendering from the M lenses
Other Features
The camera can capture still images in a 3:3 aspect ratio in DNG or JPEG at up to 14-bit. The M EV1 has the ability to shoot at up to 4.5 fps at Maximum Resolution for up to 15 Frames (Raw) / 100 Frames (JPEG). It has no video capabilities at all.
An electronic shutter function permits shooting at shutter speeds up to 1/16,000 sec, which is useful for working with faster f/0.95 lenses without the need for ND filters. A mechanical shutter still offers shutter speed support up to 1/4000 sec and flash sync at 1/180 sec.
Multi-field exposure metering is available in addition to spot and center-weighted average, which helps reduce the need to meter and then recompose before shooting.
Two digital zoom steps can simulate working with longer focal length lenses by cropping into the image slightly, at 1.3x (39MP) and 1.8x (18MP) levels. These are reversible crops when recording a DNG or permanent crops if shooting straight to JPG.
Long Exposure Noise Reduction helps to reduce the appearance of noise, but can also be disabled for faster saving times.
Pricing & Availability
The Leica M EV1 Rangefinder Camera is now available to pre-order for $8,995 USD.
U.S. availability of the Leica M EV1 will be temporarily postponed pending completion of the FCC listing and publication process – a routine regulatory requirement.
