The Leica SL mirrorless camera system has been honoured with the 2016 TIPA Award as the ‘Best Premium Camera’. Launched in October 2015, the Leica SL convinced an international jury of editors from leading photographic magazines with the new standards it sets in terms of speed, imaging performance, versatility and innovation in best Leica quality. The presentation of the TIPA Awards, now in its 26th year, will take place on 20 September 2016 in the course of the photokina fair in Cologne.

Featuring a full-frame, 24 MP CMOS sensor and perfectly matched system components, ranging from lenses of superior quality to its electronic viewfinder, the Leica SL stands for exceptional imaging quality. The high-performance, Maestro II series processor guarantees that the camera responds instantaneously to all commands. Together with 2 GB of buffer memory, the processor makes it possible to capture consecutive exposures at rates of up to 11 frames per second at full 24 MP resolution and 4K video with a frame rate of 30 frames per second. The electronic EyeRes viewfinder with impressive 4.4 megapixel resolution offers an entirely new visual experience and, in combination with a 2.95-inch back panel display, enables optimum image assessment capabilities. Body components machined from solid aluminium and precisely engineered seals around controls and in the lenses provide optimum protection against dust, moisture and splashes for the sensitive technology inside and make the Leica SL the ideal tool for use in the rough, everyday conditions faced by professional photographers.

Every year, the Technical Image Press Association (TIPA) selects the best photographic and imaging products of the year in 40 different categories. At this year’s annual general meeting of the TIPA, representatives from 27 member-magazines from 15 different countries and from the Japanese Camera Journal Press Club (CJPC) voted to determine the best products in each of the 40 categories.