Deliberately Using an R Lens on the Leica M EV1
This time we review the combination of the "Leica M EV1" and the "Leica VARIO-ELMAR-R 28-70mm f/3.5-4.5" together with actual sample photos.
At first glance it is a slightly curious combination.
The Leica M EV1 is an M-mount digital camera. The VARIO-ELMAR-R 28-70mm f/3.5-4.5, on the other hand, is an R-mount zoom lens originally made for the Leica R SLR system.
Yet when you combine these two, which differ in both generation and system, the character of the M EV1 comes into very clear view.
What makes it possible is the electronic viewfinder, or EVF, built in for the first time in an M-series Leica. Leica announced the M EV1 in October 2025 and released it on November 1 of the same year. It features a 60.3-megapixel full-frame BSI CMOS sensor and a 5.76-million-dot EVF.
An M Leica Without a Rangefinder
The biggest feature of the M EV1 is that it has an electronic viewfinder instead of the optical rangefinder that is practically the symbol of a typical M-series Leica.
The viewfinder shows the area that will actually be captured, and you can check exposure and depth of field before shooting. You can also use Focus Peaking, which marks in-focus areas with color, and Focus Zoom, which magnifies the image for checking.
This is convenient with M lenses too, but it is especially meaningful when an R lens is mounted.
With the genuine Leica R-Adapter M or similar, Leica R lenses can be mounted on the M EV1. The M EV1 instruction manual also describes support for R lenses using the R-Adapter M.
An R-Mount Standard Zoom Born in 1990
The Leica VARIO-ELMAR-R 28-70mm f/3.5-4.5 is a standard zoom for the R mount that debuted in 1990.
It covers everything from a 28mm wide angle to a 70mm medium telephoto in one lens, with a construction of 11 elements in 8 groups, a minimum focusing distance of 0.5m, and a filter size of E60. A later version also exists, and according to materials by Erwin Puts, known for his research on Leica lenses, the later version improved performance especially at the 28mm end.
Its character is a little different from modern high-performance zooms, which thoroughly even out the entire frame. Puts's evaluation credits it with high contrast, while also noting barrel distortion at the 28mm end and pincushion distortion at the telephoto end.
That is exactly why, rather than dismissing this lens as inferior because it is old, the interesting question is how the rendering of a zoom lens from that era looks on a latest-generation 60.3-megapixel body. That is where the fun of this combination lies.
Why a 28-70mm Zoom Is Fun with an EVF
What's fun about this combination is that you can use the zoom for composing your shots.
On a regular rangefinder M Leica, you check the shooting area using the bright frames in the viewfinder as a guide. With the EVF-equipped M EV1, whether you're at 28mm, 50mm, or 70mm, you can see in the viewfinder exactly what will actually be captured.
In the city, even a slight change in the direction you point the camera greatly changes what enters the frame: people, signs, buildings, reflections. In such situations, a 28-70mm zoom lets you finely adjust how much to include and where to crop while watching the viewfinder.
In this shot, people and bicycles repeat left and right across a mirrored surface, overlapping the real street with the reflected world.
With the vertical line in the center as the axis, the people on both sides, the bicycles, and even the sign in the back all fit within the frame, and an everyday scene starts to look somehow extraordinary.
In photos like this, the zoom is not simply for making distant things look larger.
It is a tool for deciding what to keep in the frame and what to leave out.
And being able to refine the composition while checking the result in the EVF is the fun of combining the M EV1 with the 28-70mm zoom.
Light and Shadow with an Old Lens and 60.3 Megapixels
Glass, pillars, reflections, and the silhouette of a person.
In this photo, what stays with me is not the resolution figures but the layering of tones shifting from black to gray to white.
The point of combining the latest M EV1 with an R zoom from decades ago is not only how far an old lens can be resolved by a modern sensor.
It is rather about how a modern sensor receives light that has passed through an old optical system.
Being able to see that difference with your own eyes is itself the pleasure of using old lenses on a digital camera.
Shifting Your Gaze with a Single 28-70mm
The last one turns the gaze sharply upward from the earlier street photos.
The sky fills most of the frame, and a small airplane passes above trees fallen into black.
Though there is little information, the position of the airplane naturally leads the eye upward.
When people talk about standard zooms, convenience tends to come first, but being able to use 28mm through 70mm also means you can change your own line of sight while staying in the same spot.
The Leica M EV1 May Be an M That Lets You Enjoy Old R Lenses Again
The Leica M EV1 and the VARIO-ELMAR-R 28-70mm f/3.5-4.5.
They came out in very different eras, but when you actually combine them, that difference is exactly what makes the pairing fun.
Because the M EV1 has an EVF, you can shoot while checking the actual angle of view even with an R lens mounted. Using focus peaking and magnified display also makes manual focusing easier.
Using a lens once used on the Leica R on the latest M body through an adapter.
It's not simply that you can use an old lens on a digital camera; the appeal of this combination is that you can enjoy that lens once again within today's shooting style.
R lenses like the 28-70mm used here become something you want to take out into the city again when paired with the M EV1.
Enjoying vintage Leica lenses on a new M.
That kind of use suits the M EV1 well.
About the Leica M EV1
A full-frame mirrorless camera released in 2025 that uses the Leica M bayonet mount.
It features a 60.3-megapixel back-illuminated CMOS sensor and is the first M-series Leica with a built-in electronic viewfinder (EVF). The EVF has 5.76 million dots and 100% coverage, letting you frame while checking the area that will actually be captured.
Focusing is manual, with support for Focus Peaking, which displays in-focus areas in color, and Focus Zoom, which magnifies the image for checking.
By shooting with the EVF rather than a conventional optical rangefinder, it is easy to check composition and focus not only with M lenses but also with compatible lenses via adapters.
Weight: approx. 484 g / 402 g (with / without battery)
About the Leica VARIO-ELMAR-R 28-70mm f/3.5-4.5
A manual focus zoom lens for the Leica R mount that debuted in 1990.
It covers focal lengths from 28mm to 70mm with a maximum aperture of F3.5 to F4.5, letting you use angles of view from wide angle to medium telephoto in a single lens.
The lens construction is 11 elements in 8 groups, with a minimum focusing distance of 0.5m. It accepts E60 filters.
A lens made for Leica R-series SLR cameras, with both zoom and focus operated manually.
Weight: 465g
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