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# What the Leica EV1 is NOT
- URL: https://journey.davidknoble.life/what-the-leica-ev1-is-n/
- Published: 2026-10-06T23:37:54.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-06T23:37:54.000Z
- Description: There are many things the Leica EV1 is not. There is one key thing that the Leica Ev1 is!
- Author: David Knoble
- Tags: das Wesentliche

It is not a rangefinder.

It is not a Q

It is not an SL

It is not autofocus

The lenses are not electronic

It is not AI.

It is not a medium format camera, nor a compact camera.

The EV1 is an M. 

The EV1 is a Leica.

This is not a Dr. Seuss book, although in some ways it was meant to be. Dr. Seuss books were short, simple children’s books with great stories and plenty of artwork. My parents read them to me, and I read them to my children. The story of the Leica EV1 is just as simple.

The EV1 has both mechanical and electronic systems, like all other digital M bodies. But it isn't the physical attributes that make the EV1 an M. 

After using the Leica EV1 for 3 months, I have found a new relationship with a camera. More than just the ways I have enjoyed it already, it is the thoughts of even more ways to enjoy it.

The EV1 is an experience. It is a way of photographing and remaining intimate with my subject - whether it is landscape, documentary or portraiture. 

I also have a relationship with my Leica Film M cameras. There is something about winding each frame and rewinding an entire roll when done. It becomes the excitement of knowing that after development, I can see the photographs I made.

The EV1 has allowed me over three months to begin to guess less about my framing and my exposure and concentrate on making images. It has been like walking through a door out from the shadows. 

The Leica EV1 is an M, and I love making images with an M.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/28/88/28888718-3151-40e0-92e4-bf1a38db79a2/content/images/2026/10/Journey-EV1-L1001117-1.jpg)

The door of an old ice cream shop in Rock Hill, SC, -**Leica EV1 and Summicron 35 ASPH*