Testing the Pixii Max Rangefinder Camera on a Frosty Morning
Dec 18th, 2025 | by Peter Harrington
As this is our first Diversion, it might be best to mention something about the idea behind this set of stories. Diversion is a home for things that don’t fit the company mould but which we’d like to write about anyway. In this piece, we talk about photography, a passion and an area of concern for WBD commercially. In others, we might wax lyrical about records and making music. Or the state of tech, something that is perhaps more closely aligned with our business. At other times, other things. You get the picture.
Today, though, we’re looking through the viewfinder at the Pixii Max, an intriguing rangefinder camera from the French photography startup Pixii. As this is the internet, we should say that at the time of writing, we have no affiliation with Pixii and have received no discount or other remuneration for this piece. It is - shock, horror - written for the love of doing it.
Before purchasing the Pixii, I scoured the internet for reviews or real user feedback, but apart from a couple of detailed YouTube videos of the Max’s APS-C stablemate and some good Pixii coverage of the same camera by DearSusan, I couldn’t find much that I could rely on as an authentic experience. But I found enough to feel confident, so I went ahead and ordered a Pixii Max from the brand’s site, and a neat little moulded half-case from Akara Labs that features a thumb rest and grip. Once I had received both camera and case, I was pretty keen to photograph something or other. I did not know what. I already had a lens that would work, a Leica-mount (the Pixii standard) Zeiss Biogon C 35/2, so I popped it on, checked the weather, grabbed my bike and cycled off towards the hills, the Pixii safely stowed in my handlebar bag.
Today, though, we’re looking through the viewfinder at the Pixii Max, an intriguing rangefinder camera from the French photography startup Pixii. As this is the internet, we should say that at the time of writing, we have no affiliation with Pixii and have received no discount or other remuneration for this piece. It is - shock, horror - written for the love of doing it.
Before purchasing the Pixii, I scoured the internet for reviews or real user feedback, but apart from a couple of detailed YouTube videos of the Max’s APS-C stablemate and some good Pixii coverage of the same camera by DearSusan, I couldn’t find much that I could rely on as an authentic experience. But I found enough to feel confident, so I went ahead and ordered a Pixii Max from the brand’s site, and a neat little moulded half-case from Akara Labs that features a thumb rest and grip. Once I had received both camera and case, I was pretty keen to photograph something or other. I did not know what. I already had a lens that would work, a Leica-mount (the Pixii standard) Zeiss Biogon C 35/2, so I popped it on, checked the weather, grabbed my bike and cycled off towards the hills, the Pixii safely stowed in my handlebar bag.
There's no screen on the back of the Pixii Max, so you don't know what you’ve shot, other than what drew you to a scene in the first place. It’s an intriguing experience and one I felt very freeing. As I stopped to shoot whatever grabbed my eye, I didn't know if the camera was even working, although why would it not be? So I kept cycling, pausing or passing by and backing up, and shooting for about an hour before returning home.
Aside from worrying what I was capturing, my first impression of the Pixii Max was that it felt about the perfect weight. It's not light, but it's not a brick. I would venture that it is ideally balanced to prevent camera shake at low shutter speeds and solid enough to elicit a sense of quality. With the little half-case, the Pixii is a pleasure to handle. And even without it, it feels nice in the hand. It seems to be made well, too. The exterior has a nice, slightly rubbery feel, although it doesn't appear to be rubber. Hard to describe. And somehow, it looks better than in the pictures, classic but modern. A compelling mix.
As the Pixii Max is a rangefinder, the focusing experience is straightforward: turn the focus ring on your lens until a small patch aligns with another small patch and you're in focus. Having previously shot with the Leica M11, I was familiar with the concept. I liked it enough on the Leica, but I always felt slightly wrongfooted. I could never quite be sure I had focus. The clarity of the Pixii's viewfinder and its large focus patch were a revelation; far easier for me to get focus, and when I returned home and opened the photos on my desktop and saw that all the ones I had taken were sharp, with the focus point precisely where it was meant to be, my initial feeling of confidence in the system was confirmed.
Aside from worrying what I was capturing, my first impression of the Pixii Max was that it felt about the perfect weight. It's not light, but it's not a brick. I would venture that it is ideally balanced to prevent camera shake at low shutter speeds and solid enough to elicit a sense of quality. With the little half-case, the Pixii is a pleasure to handle. And even without it, it feels nice in the hand. It seems to be made well, too. The exterior has a nice, slightly rubbery feel, although it doesn't appear to be rubber. Hard to describe. And somehow, it looks better than in the pictures, classic but modern. A compelling mix.
As the Pixii Max is a rangefinder, the focusing experience is straightforward: turn the focus ring on your lens until a small patch aligns with another small patch and you're in focus. Having previously shot with the Leica M11, I was familiar with the concept. I liked it enough on the Leica, but I always felt slightly wrongfooted. I could never quite be sure I had focus. The clarity of the Pixii's viewfinder and its large focus patch were a revelation; far easier for me to get focus, and when I returned home and opened the photos on my desktop and saw that all the ones I had taken were sharp, with the focus point precisely where it was meant to be, my initial feeling of confidence in the system was confirmed.
But opening the files to see perfect focus was only half of the experience. With no rear screen on the Pixii to confirm what I was capturing, when I returned home, I saw what I had shot for the first time on a large display in full fidelity. I had read about Pixii’s colour science and, thanks to sites like DearSusan, got a sense of its character, but what I saw after my first shoot was more than encouraging. We can talk tech, but I’d prefer to go with feel. The Pixii’s files, to me, feel like photos should. We all have an idea of what’s right, and I very much enjoy the Pixii’s aesthetic.
Other areas of note include the Pixii’s patented ‘optical’ viewfinder, which features electronic frame lines you can adapt to the focal length of your lens. A simple setting in the Pixii’s menu presents a choice of focal lengths, within which you select the one that corresponds to your current lens (I have tried it at 35mm with my Zeiss, and 40mm with my Voigtlander Nokton Classic - both worked great), and the viewfinder’s frame lines adapt accordingly, showing you the focal length-correct capture area. Another excellent addition to the traditional rangefinder experience is Pixii’s info screen, which overlays handy settings at the bottom of the viewfinder window - spin the rear dial to scroll through different options, such as ISO or shutter speed, which you can do while your eye is at the viewfinder. It’s a brilliant feature that, in my opinion, necessarily updates the rangefinder experience for the modern photographer, without taking away the simplicity and seductive ease of the medium.
I do want to mention one other positive. A bit bizarre, but every shot I have captured with the Pixii has been level or composed as I had hoped it would be! Even with shots of my two little girls - and I never usually manage that.
So far, downsides have been few. Yes, the app is a little inconsistent. I had read about that. Sometimes the white balance will be a touch off, as will exposure. But on the whole, nothing that I haven’t felt from other cameras in other ways. They all have quirks.
Other areas of note include the Pixii’s patented ‘optical’ viewfinder, which features electronic frame lines you can adapt to the focal length of your lens. A simple setting in the Pixii’s menu presents a choice of focal lengths, within which you select the one that corresponds to your current lens (I have tried it at 35mm with my Zeiss, and 40mm with my Voigtlander Nokton Classic - both worked great), and the viewfinder’s frame lines adapt accordingly, showing you the focal length-correct capture area. Another excellent addition to the traditional rangefinder experience is Pixii’s info screen, which overlays handy settings at the bottom of the viewfinder window - spin the rear dial to scroll through different options, such as ISO or shutter speed, which you can do while your eye is at the viewfinder. It’s a brilliant feature that, in my opinion, necessarily updates the rangefinder experience for the modern photographer, without taking away the simplicity and seductive ease of the medium.
I do want to mention one other positive. A bit bizarre, but every shot I have captured with the Pixii has been level or composed as I had hoped it would be! Even with shots of my two little girls - and I never usually manage that.
So far, downsides have been few. Yes, the app is a little inconsistent. I had read about that. Sometimes the white balance will be a touch off, as will exposure. But on the whole, nothing that I haven’t felt from other cameras in other ways. They all have quirks.
As a bonus of sorts, here are a handful of shots from the Pixii Max with a Voigtlander 40mm 1.4 SC Nokton Classic lens attached. Another day, different light, and no bike in sight, but perhaps illustrative of the Pixii’s talents. It was fun following this red kite around the sky, hoping to catch its wings golden in the last rays of the afternoon sun. And at the bottom, a photo of a field that has transformed into a lake after recent rains.
As my journey continues and the Pixii gets roped into snapping some commercial work, I’m sure I’ll post again. In the meantime, thanks for reading.