I've had many journeys in both Photography and in Leica Photography. This is the Leica M EV1 Journey, and my journey begins here.
I am going dive-in, experiment and muse over the next year with the Leica EV1. This will not be a review, but actual day-to-day use of the EV1. You can subscribe for free if you'd like to stay up to date (Truly free - I'm sharing my journey for others to experience). Here, I'll introduce you to the why behind the journey and what to expect along the way.
First, What is the EV1?
The date was October 23, 2025. Leica Camera AG announced a new camera on the M line that was hoped for by some, and totally unexpected by others. The Leica M EV1 is the first Leica M body with an integrated Electronic Viewfinder and no Rangefinder [1]. Stefan Daniel[2], Global Senior Brand Representative of Leica Camera AG and "Mr. M," talks about the history of creating a tool to sit beside the rangefinder, not replace it [3].
See the Leica Camera EV1 Product Page. (use browser back button to return here). ↩︎
Stefan Daniel on LinkedIn. (use browser back button to return here). ↩︎
A conversation with Stefan Daniel about the EV1.(use browser back button to return here). ↩︎
Why Bother with a Journey?
You can read more about my personal journey with Leica Cameras and why I use them as a tool to create my photographic images during this journey. To start, you can read more about me and this site. The important takeaway is that I love the rangefinder concept and how easy it is to focus almost any image quickly with Leica M lenses. I believe the Leica M EV1 has an important place in photography, but from its introduction. Many seemed not exactly enamored with the EV1, evidenced by what I read in the forums on this Leica innovation. Even I did not foresee this in my personal toolkit.
That is, until I took a closer look at how I could benefit from a built-in EVF. The more I thought about the shortcomings of my existing Leica M bodies and lenses, the more I thought the EVF would solve every one of those challenges.
So, I begin. As of this writing, I have had the EV1 in my possession less than a week, and I am committed. This is a journey to see where this Leica M body will take me in all my photography. I am sure there will be bumps along the way, but I am truly excited about exploring a new tool that is so different, yet has the same DNA as my film and digital Leica M's.
Is the Leica EV1 Blasphemy?
If my first experience holding the camera is any indication of where this will go, I didn’t need the manual to start taking images. The EV1 is a Leica M11 to the core. Some digital Leica M’s over the years have added new features. Think about perspective correction, highlight weighted metering, internal memory, content credentials, and connection to Leica Fotos. Each of these innovations improved some aspect of making and sharing images. Leica says it well - “The World Deserves Witnesses.”
Relevant to the EV1, I remember when Leica introduced the first add-on electronic viewfinder for the Leica M240 - the Visoflex Typ 020. This first generation add-on EVF was well received by enough Leica M users that two more generations of add-on EVF’s have been introduced! The lineage goes back to the first optical add-on viewfinders for the screw-mount cameras and the wide-angle viewfinders for the Leica M film system. Arguably, you could use the optical viewfinders on the digital Leica M cameras. In fact, I have used the 21mm external finder below on my Leica M11P with the Leica M Summilux 21mm lens!
I know some believe the EV1 is blasphemy - I am active on Leica camera forums. And no, the EV1 does not have an optical rangefinder system. Yet, when mixed with all the other Leica digital innovations, I cannot help but think this is yet another tool in the photographer’s arsenal. We would not have Leica cameras today if Ernst Leitz II did not defy most people around him and say “We will take the risk.” In my mind, the EV1 isn’t blasphemy, it is pure innovation! How well can I use the EV1 tool? That is part of the journey!
Organization and Direction
Check out the topics on the Home page as I explore the camera, record some field notes as I use it, provide plenty of images with backstories, and finally, some solid setup and tips for using the system as I go. Check out the menus and footer links for focused topics, my latest journals, resources and other Leica EV1 information. Before I get too far, here is my thesis statement. Over the next year, I'll see how well this holds up and revisit it towards the end.
The Leica M EV1 is not a replacement, or even a refinement of the Leica M Rangefinders, but an extension of the Leica M system that can overcome challenges of the Rangefinder, while remaining a complement to Leica M photography. -David Knoble, July 13, 2026
I believe that the Leica M EV1 can do almost everything that the Leica M Rangefinder does, and more. More importantly, I believe the Leica M EV1 can be used in any type of photography the Leica M Rangefinder produces - any kind - using almost all the same techniques.
As a photographic tool, the Leica M EV1 fills in some gaps that the Leica M Rangefinder struggles with, but just as the first time I picked up a rangefinder, there is some learning and fine-tuning of the tool that only experience can give me.
For now, I hope I have piqued your interest to follow along, or if you are joining me part-way through, to catch up in these pages.
Happy shooting!
