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The Leica M EV1 is the first Leica rangefinder without... the optical rangefinder. In its place, a useful EVF, which can make manual focusing much simpler.

Leica M EV1: two-minute review

The Leica M EV1 concept is polarizing: strip out the optical rangefinder that Leica M cameras have been famed for for over 70 years, and replace it with an electronic viewfinder (EVF).

It's yet another example of Leica tweaking and evolving its tried and tested rangefinder series design, however, and another reason that the oldest active lens mount still in production today has many years of life still in it.

You'd think the whole experience of taking photos with the M EV1 would be wildly different – but in fact, for me, in many ways it isn't.

Technically speaking, the Leica M EV1 shares many similarities with the Leica M11 / M11-P and Leica Q3 / Q3 43) – all use Leica's 60MP full-frame sensor, which delivers the most detailed photos among full-frame cameras.

It's like a Leica Q3 / Q3 43 premium compact but with Leica's M mount, which felt pretty intuitive to me straight away, as I've used other Leica M series and Leica Q series cameras extensively.

(Image credit: Tim Coleman)

I can see the appeal for many Leica fans already in camp M EV1 – it has useful elements of Leica's Q series (minus autofocus, tilt screen and video recording), combined with the versatility of the Leica M mount and a wide choice of lenses. For some, that's the best of both worlds.

On the plus side, the EVF offers focus peaking, which is an extremely useful visual aid for manual focusing; trust me, it will increase your percentage of sharp shots compared to being guided by Leica's optical rangefinder, at least when you're manually focusing in the moment, rather than sticking to a set focus distance as some street photographers do. You lose a little of that old school rangefinder magic, but the EVF is way more practical in my experience.

Build-wise, there's greater similarity with the M11 – not just the M mount and interchangeable lenses, but also the control layout and fixed rear screen, although I'd rather have more Q3 attributes in the design.

The EVF has a slightly different profile to the optical rangefinder in other Leica M cameras, but the 2.95-inch fixed screen is the same as the M11's (Image credit: Tim Coleman)

For me, the Q3’s tilt screen is super-useful – I generally find myself switching between the viewfinder and rear screen, and I enjoy waist-level shooting for street photography, for which a tilt screen is hugely useful.

That meant I used the 5.76m-dot viewfinder more often with the EV1, and thankfully it works a treat. Rangefinder-style cameras like the EV1 are fairly inconspicuous too, making them ideal for street photography.

There is of course the other camp, for whom the M EV1 is the worst of both worlds, for whom the M EV1 makes less sense as a package. Sure, it costs less than the M11, but it costs more than the Q3, which is much more camera, with its built-in lens, autofocus, tilt screen and video recording. It's a natural comparison when you take the optical rangefinder out of the equation.

The Leica M EV1 with Leica 35mm f1.4 Summilux-M Asph lens attached (Image credit: Tim Coleman)

The M EV1 makes sense in some ways, especially if you already own multiple Leica lenses, but if you're starting out, or generally shoot with one or two lenses, it doesn't.

Nuts and bolts, the M EV1 makes less sense when I talk about it. However, I have to go with my gut, having used the camera extensively with the Leica 35mm f1.4 Summilux-M Asph lens for a week. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Yes, it feels slightly less organic than the M11, but if you don't mind an EVF then the EV1 feels like the new Leica M camera to go for.

The M EV1 is a compact and discreet rangefinder-style camera, making it ideal for reportage photography. (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Leica M EV1: price and release date

• Costs $8,995 / £6,840 / AU$13,990 for the body only
• Additional leatherette hand grip costs $460 / £340
• Available from October 23, 2025

Price-wise, the Leica M EV1 sits in between the Leica M11 and Leica Q3, which makes sense because an EVF is cheaper to manufacture than an optical rangefinder.

Ultimately, the EV1's list price makes the Q3 / Q3 43 feel like much better value, especially if you're not going to be swapping lenses a lot. The Q3 is much the same camera, for less, with additional features – and you get a built-in lens.

With the EV1, you're paying for the luxury of being able to swap lenses, and every Leica lens costs in the thousands.

Personally, if I had a spare $14,000 / £12,000 for Leica camera gear, I'd rather pick up both the Leica Q3 and Leica Q3 43 over the EV1 with a lens such as the 35mm f/1.4 Summilux, which together cost the same as two Q3s.

The M EV1 is supplied with a black leather strap.

• Price score: 3/5

There's no grip on the M EV1, but an additional leatherette hand grip is available separately (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Leica M EV1: specs

Video

N/A

Photo

60MP full-frame

Lens mount

Leica M

Autofocus

N/A – manual focus only

Screen

2.95-inch fixed touchscreen, 2.3m-dot

Viewfinder

5.76m-dot EVF

Weight

17oz / 484g (body, including battery)

Battery

244 shots (Leica BP-SCL7)

Leica M EV1: Design

• Compact rangefinder design
• 5.76m-dot EVF instead of an optical rangefinder
• Modest-size 2.95-inch fixed touchscreen

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Yes it's a Leica M... without the rangefinder! (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 2 of 7

There's that 35mm f/1.4 Summilux lens attached (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 3 of 7

The control layout is super minimal (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 4 of 7

There's no ISO dial, which you'll find in the top left of Leica M11 cameras (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 5 of 7

There's USB-C charging for the 1,900mAh capacity battery (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 6 of 7

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The left side of the camera – there are no connections whatsoever (Image credit: Tim Coleman)

The obvious place to start when talking about the M EV1's design is its viewfinder, which is the same 5.76m-dot EVF found in the Leica Q3. It's also placed in the corner of the camera where the rangefinder traditionally sits, easily accessed with your right eye.

I was shooting with Leica's 35mm f/1.4 Summilux lens for this test, often wide open at f/1.4 where depth of field is really shallow, and getting sharp manual focus is historically a challenge with Leica M cameras. This changes somewhat with the M EV1.

Focus peaking is indeed supremely helpful for this manual focus-only camera, outlining the hard edges of your subject that's in focus – I had the camera set to red focus peaking, which in general is the color most easily seen. However, you shouldn't totally rely on the accuracy of focus peaking, especially with a shallow depth of field.

Focus magnification gives you a closer look, making it much easier to make fine adjustments and ensure sharp focusing where it matters, assuming you have time to use it. My ratio of in-focus shots has been much higher using the M EV1 than I would expect with a camera like the M11.

Even with an EVF, a manual focus-only camera will keep you on your toes. Here my reactions weren't up to speed – a mirrorless camera with subject detection autofocus would have nailed this photo (Image credit: Tim Coleman)

As a rangefinder-style camera, the EV1 is really compact, plus the shutter action is dampened for minimal vibration and noise, making for discreet picture taking.

The 2.95-inch rear screen feels a little on the small side, and being fixed it's less useful that a moveable screen, say a tilt or vari-angle type. The quality and feel of the display is top-drawer, though – with 2.3m dots it's packed with detail, and touch response feels smooth.

With the screen being less useful than I would like – I prefer the Q3's tilt screen – I leaned more into using the viewfinder, which is a lovely experience, even if traditionalists will turn their nose up at such a digital display. Sure, you lose a little of the rangefinder magic, but the EV1 is a more practical not just for focusing but also composition.

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Like all high-end Leica M cameras, the EV1 is made in Germany and the body is fully metal – both aluminum and magnesium, with a leatherette finish. This is a classy bit of gear.

The style, profile and control layout of the EV1 are largely familiar – this feels like an M11, save for the omission of an ISO dial (which is a real shame) and of course that new type of viewfinder. I'm a fan of minimalist design, and thoroughly enjoyed shooting with the EV1.

• Design score: 4/5

Leica M EV1: Performance

• Manual focus only
• Poor battery life
• Content credentials included
• 4.5fps for up to 15 RAWs

Battery life, I must say, is pretty poor by today's standards, rated up to 244 shots. It's little wonder given that the camera uses Leica's BP-SCL7 battery with its modest 1,800mAh capacity.

Still, the M EV1 isn't the kind of high-speed photography and video-making heavyweight with which users would quickly drain a battery. The photography process here is slow and considered, and as such I typically got through a whole day without needing to charge the battery (which is done via the USB-C port on the underside of the camera).

Burst-shooting top speeds are a modest 4.5fps. The buffer memory is rated to 3GB, which means you can shoot 15 full-size raw files or 100 JPEGs at that top speed before the camera slows up, assuming you're using a high-speed UHS-II SD card. Put simply, this is no high-speed shooter.

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I love the dual-lock design of the battery door, which is unlocked using the lever, and then fully released by pushing the battery back in a little. (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 2 of 2

Battery capacity is pretty low by today's standards (Image credit: Tim Coleman)

Following the Leica M11-P, the EV1 is equipped with content credentials, which is the most widely adopted industry standard for authenticating the origin of digital images. It does so through a secure digital label, holding details such as names, dates, and any edits made to an image’s metadata.

GPS geotagging data can also be added to images via the Leica Fotos app, which is available on the Apple store and Google Play store for iPhone and Android devices. It's also possible to wirelessly transfer images to your device from the M EV1 through the app, as well as remotely control the camera.

I tested the EV1 before its official launch, which meant that it wasn't registered on the Leica Fotos app. However, I have plenty of experience with the app, such as with the screen-less M11-D, and it's one of the more reliable and pain-free app experiences from leading camera brands.

• Performance score: 3.5 / 5

Leica M EV1: Image quality

• Same 60MP sensor as the M11 and Q3, with digital crops
• Manual focus only
• No video recording

If you want a detail-rich full-frame camera there are none better than those that use this 60MP sensor, as Leica's current crop of M cameras do, along with the Sony A7R V.

Leica offers two digital crop modes: 1.3x and 1.8x, with a reduced 36MP and 18MP resolution respectively. With the 35mm lens I had for this review, those crops give a perspective equivalent to 45mm and 63mm lenses.

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The ISO sensitivity range starts at ISO 64 and tops out at ISO 50,000, so images taken in good light with the base ISO are particularly clean and crisp.

Leica uses the widely adopted DNG raw format, with a 14-bit output and a limited number of color profiles to choose from – I mainly stuck to standard profile, and made color edits to raw files afterwards.

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Sticking with the Leica M ethos, the EV1 doesn't shoot video at all. For video recording with a Leica, you'll need to look to the Leica Q series.

Would it have harmed Leica's reputation to add video recording to an M mount camera for the first time, in the same swoop as an EVF? No! I think the same video recording skills as a Q3 series camera could have been an excellent string to the M EV1's bow.

To conclude, assuming you nail focusing and are using one of Leica's high-quality M mount lenses, then photo quality is top drawer.

• Image quality score: 4.5 / 5

Leica M EV1: testing scorecard Leica M EV1

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Price

Less than an M11 bur pricier than the Q3, the M EV1's price was predictable

3.5/5

Design

All the premium hallmarks of Leica M, but with one new bold design change that makes sense for some

4/5

Performance

The EVF has a hit on battery life, while burst shooting speeds are slow

3.5/5

Image quality

There's no better full-frame sensor for outright image quality (backed up with Leica glass), but video recording is absent

4.5/5

Should I buy the Leica M EV1?Buy it if...

You own Leica M mount lenses
No Leica lenses? The Q3 could be a better pick. But if you already own Leica lenses, the M EV1 could be the next step in your Leica journey.

It's time for a more practical Leica M
Perhaps your eyesight isn't what it once was, or you're simply wanting a Leica M that's easier to use – the EV1's EVF could make all the difference.

Don't buy it if...

You love the Leica M soul
Yes the hands-on experience with the M EV1 feels largely familiar to other Leica M cameras, but there's no denying it loses a little of the old school soul.

You expect a comprehensively modern digital camera
An EVF makes the M EV1 the modern Leica rangefinder, but it still lacks autofocus, video recording and a handy moveable screen.

Leica M EV1: also consider

Leica Q3

If you're considering the M EV1, then you're probably already okay with using an EVF. And unless you already have a bunch of pricey Leica lenses, the Q3 and / or Q3 43 premium compacts feel like a wiser pick overall – you get the same 60MP sensor but also a built-in lens, the ability to switch to autofocus, a versatile tilt screen, and video recording. Oh, and both Q3 models cost much less.

See my Leica Q3 reviewView Deal

Leica M11

Design-wise there are two key differences between the M11 and M EV1; the viewfinder type – the M11 has an optical rangefinder, while the M EV1 has a 5.76m-dot electronic viewfinder – and the M11 features a handy ISO dial that's missing on the EV1. Besides that, the user experience and image quality are effectively the same. The EV1 costs less than the M11, though.

See our Leica M11 reviewView Deal

(Image credit: Tim Coleman)How I tested the Leica M EV1

• Leica loaned me the M EV1 for a week ahead of its launch
• I had one lens to test it with – the Leica 35mm f1.4 Summilux-M Asph
• I've used the M EV1 as an everyday camera, documenting the world around me

My experience with the Leica M EV1 was wonderfully simple. I had it close to hand for a whole week ahead of the global announcement, with the Leica 35mm f1.4 Summilux-M Asph lens attached to it the whole time.

I'm a fan of this lens for reportage photography, and naturally found myself documenting the world around me, mostly making use of the EVF and focus peaking to manually focus.

Of course, there's a decent range of Leica M lenses to choose from, making the most of the M EV1's design advantages over the Leica Q3 premium compact with its fixed lens.

• First reviewed: October 2025
• Read more about how we test

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Idea Spectrum Realtime Landscaping Pro is a feature rich PC-only software package designed to help you create detailed landscaping projects, with a wealth of options, and a vast library of plants and objects.

Many software packages and services let you design the perfect house, complete with plumbing, electrics, furniture, and more. Some even go further and expand their canvas to allow you to design the surrounding landscape.

Idea Spectrum Realtime Landscaping Pro 2025 does things differently, focussing primarily on the landscape itself, and its features and quite impressive. it's easily one of the best landscape design software tools around - as long as you own a Windows PC, the only platform it supports.

• You can download Realtime Landscaping Pro from Idea Spectrum by clicking here.

Realtime Landscaping Pro 2025: Pricing and plans

Fine tune your design with numerous changeable parameters (Image credit: Idea Spectrum )

• Far from the cheapest landscaping software out there, but at least you own it outright: no subscription deals, plus you can download a trial version to check it out

Idea Spectrum deserves praise for not treating their software as a service they can let out. Instead, you need to purchase Realtime Landscaping Pro outright - the old fashioned way - for $279. This is quite refreshing in this day and age. Yes, you have to pay more upfront, but that’s one less rental you have to deal with every month.

Additionally, you can upgrade from a previous version: Pro owners of versions 2011 to 2023 can do so for $129, whereas Plus owners from 2011 to 2025 have to pay $149 to get the latest version of Pro.

If you wish to try the software out for yourself, you can also download a free trial which limits some of the features, but will give you a good feel for what’s on offer.

• Score: 3.5/5

Realtime Landscaping Pro 2025: Interface

Design your home in minutes thanks to the help of one of Realtime Landscaping Pro’s handy wizards (Image credit: Idea Spectrum )

• A clean, easy to understand interface, with multiple views and handy wizards to speed up the design process

Realtime Landscaping Pro is designed for you to work in a 3D environment. Should you prefer to focus on a 2D space, Idea Spectrum also offers ‘Realtime Landscaping Photo’ as an alternative.

The interface is very standard: all your tools can be found on a sidebar to the left, with all the objects you can add being located at the top, broken down by category, such as Terrain, Water Features, Utilities, and Building (yes, you can add buildings to your design; you just can’t venture into them). The left side of the interface is your Inspector, showing all of a selected object’s changeable parameters.

Since you can’t explore the inside of the house, you’d be forgiven for thinking the options available for designing the outside might be limited. Although a lot is automated for you, you have a heck of a lot of customisation capabilities. From setting up the structure, to adding windows, guttering, lights, it’s pretty much all there. Plus you can change the types of material, their colour, the wall heights, the pitch of the roof, etc. Everything you need to make a building look great - from the outside. You also have the ability to add ‘window facades’ that make it seem like your house has an interior when looking through the windows.

There are three separate views at your disposal, all accessible via buttons, lower left of the interface: ‘Plan’ is a top-down view - selected by default; ’Perspective’, allows you to see elevation and work in a 3D environment, which we found helped us design better. The third view is called ‘Walkthrough’, and is really there for you to peruse your creation using your mouse and keyboard. As the project is rendered in high quality, there is no way to alter it in that view.

On the whole, the interface is clear, and easy to understand, giving you a large canvas in the centre of the interface to design your project. Should you feel at a loss, Idea Spectrum offers a series of online tutorials to help you familiarise yourself with what’s on offer.

In order to facilitate the design process further, Realtime Landscaping Pro comes with various wizards. One is used for creating houses, as mentioned above, but others are also available to quickly create landscapes, decks, ponds, accents and swimming pools. The concept is very simple: choose a template, place it onto your project and more often than not, you’re done. These templates are fully customisable of course, to help them blend in more perfectly with your landscape.

• Score: 4/5

Realtime Landscaping Pro 2025: Planting

You’ve got over 6,000 plants to choose from, and customize to suit your needs (Image credit: Idea Spectrum )

• An unbelievable inventory of plants which you can customise, choose their size, and set their look. You also have control over the time of day, and season. Your customisation options are as impressive as the number of plants available

Software designed to recreate an outdoor environment should be well stocked when it comes to flora, and this is exactly what Realtime Landscaping Pro offers. You have at your disposal over 6,000 plants, subdivided by category such as Annuals, Succulent, Tropical, etc, to make it easier to find what you’re after. But with so many to choose from, you’ll be grateful for that handy search field as well!

But that’s not all: you get to choose plants ideal for the geographical location you’re designing in - or not - the choice is completely up to you, as you add trees and shrubs that can look great together, but might not survive in the real world. You also get to choose each plant’s age, which mostly just alters their height, as well as the season you’re working in. This is set for your overall design, but you can also supersede that choice for each plant individually if you’re looking for an unusual and striking look, such as having plants displaying their spring appearance, next to others in the fall. Essentially, you can be as realistic and accurate as you please, or as fanciful as you desire.

This level of control extends to the weather, time of day, season, and even the phase of the moon. All of this is available through the ‘Settings’ menu.

You’ll find that each category has a ‘Currently Used’ section, which allows you to reuse objects currently in your project, elsewhere. This only works on your current project though. Should you wish to use the same plants in multiple projects, that’s where the ‘Favourites’ section comes in, making it easy to locate items once, and use them again and again in future works.

• Score: 5/5

Realtime Landscaping Pro 2025: Objects, people, and animation

Change the weather and time of day to suit your needs (Image credit: Idea Spectrum )

• You also have a large list of materials, objects and people to further refine your design, and bring your creation to life with a few fun animations

Plants are but the start of your designing journey. Realtime Landscaping Pro also contains a generous library of 3D objects, from lawn furniture, to cars, as well as a wealth of materials you can use for your walls, driveways, and more.

But what we particularly enjoyed was how you can bring your design to life through animation. Water can shimmer, and fountains flow, for instance. But people - and even animals - can be animated as well. Some can walk, others jog, and a few even swim. Set a path for them to follow and they’ll repeat their action on a loop. Even those sitting or lying around will have some kind of animation set for them, like a head tilt, or a hand movement. All of these help your creation come to life when exploring it in Walkthrough.

Speaking of Walkthrough, you’re able to create movies meandering through your project, although you don’t actually control the movement through your keyboard and mouse, but rather by setting a path for the camera to follow. You can even connect it to an Oculus Rift.

As it stands, this software is very versatile with a wealth of features. It’s simple enough for casual users to have fun with, yet versatile enough for professional use, creating your dream garden, virtually, complete with seasons, and fun animations.

• Score: 4/5

Should I buy Realtime Landscaping Pro?

Set up a video path around your project to create a movie of your design (Image credit: Idea Spectrum )Buy it if...

You’re looking for a detailed landscaping tool with a wealth of features to help you design the project of your (or your clients’) dreams.

Don't buy it if...

You don’t fancy playing with so many features that you can get lost in the minutia, and you find the animations superfluous and creepy.

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