Introduction
The Sony A9 III is a professional full-frame mirrorless camera that’s designed for sports and wildlife photography and photojournalism.
Sony are billing the A9 III as a new milestone in the short but rich history of the Alpha system, as October 16th, 2023 marks the 10th Anniversary of Sony Alpha full-frame mirrorless cameras.
It also represents a significant milestone in the imaging industry, as the A9III is the first ever camera to feature a full-frame global shutter image sensor.
This allows up to 1/80000th shutter speed with no distortion, flash-sync at any shutter speed, flicker-free shooting, and a 120fps blackout-free burst mode.
The ISO range is 250-25600, expandable to 125-51200 for stills, as a characteristic of the global shutter sensor is a higher base ISO speed.
The A9 III has a 240fps EVF with 9.44M dots, 4-axis LCD screen, 8-stops of IBIS, dust and moisture resistance, and dual BIONZ XR processors which provide the latest AI-based Real-time Recognition AF system,
There are special Pre-capture and Continuous Shooting Speed Boost modes, the latter allowing you to select 120fps at the press of a button, if you’re not already shooting in it.
The new Composite Raw shooting mode takes up to 32 images to reduce noise through Sony’s Imaging Edge software, with handheld shooting possible.
For video, there’s 6K oversampling for 4K 60p and 4K 120p without cropping, all distortion-free (no jello effect) in 10-bit 4:2:2 S-log3 / S-Cinetone, with Dynamic Active Mode stabilisation and breathing compensation.
Faster workflow support has been implemented, with clearer voice memos thanks to new mic next to LCD screen, multiple IPTC presets (20) (only 1 preset on A1), and transfer and tagging + remote control tool support.
The Sony Alpha A9 III is available in January 2024 priced at £6100 / $6000 / €7000 body-only in the UK, US and Europe respectively.
There’s also a new VG-C5 vertical grip which is priced at £390 / $400 / €450.
Sample Images
This is a selection of sample images from the Sony A9 III camera, which were all taken using the 24.6 megapixel Extra Fine JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.
Sample RAW Images
The Sony A9 III enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files. We’ve provided some Sony RAW (ARW) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative).
Product Images
Main Rivals
Listed below are some of the rivals of the Sony A9 III.
The Canon EOS R3 is a professional full-frame mirrorless camera for sports and action photographers that features a 24 megapixel stacked BSI sensor, 6K/60p Raw and 4K/120p video recording, 30fps burst shooting, eye-control autofocusing and a dual-grip design. Read our in-depth Canon R3 review complete with full-size sample photos and videos to find out just what the all-action R3 is capable of…
The X-H2S is the fastest, most capable APS-C sensor camera that Fujifilm have ever released, but it’s also by far the most expensive. Find out exactly what this new flagship camera is capable of and who it’s aimed at by reading our complete Fuji XH2S review complete with full-size JPEG, Raw and video samples.
As the spiritual successor to the popular D850 DSLR, the new Z8 full-frame mirrorless camera could turn out to be one of the most important products that Nikon have ever released. Read our in-depth Nikon Z8 review, complete with full-size sample photos and videos, to find out more about this mirrorless marvel…
The Nikon Z9 is a professional level, full-frame mirrorless camera for photographers and videographers that features a 45 megapixel stacked BSI sensor, 8K/30p and 4K/120p video recording, 30fps burst shooting and a dual-grip design. Read our in-depth Nikon Z9 review complete with full-size sample photos and videos to find out just what this flagship camera is capable of…
The new OM-1 flagship is both the last ever Olympus camera and the first ever OM System camera. Confused? Well no need to worry, as we take an in-depth look at what this new Micro Four Thirds flagship has to offer in our OM System OM-1 review, complete with full-size sample photos and videos…
The Sony Alpha 1 camera, or Sony A1 for short, is the best camera that Sony have ever released, and currently the best all-round camera on the market. It’s also one of the most expensive, so read our in-depth Sony A1 review complete with full-size sample JPEG and Raw photos and movies to find out if it’s truly the One for you…
If you’re a professional sports photographer or photojournalist, there have traditionally only been two camera series worth considering, with the latest examples being the Canon EOS 1D X II and the Nikon D5. Two years ago Sony released the Alpha A9, which was specifically designed to take on those two cameras, and now they’re back, just in time for the Olympics, with the improved A9 II. Read our review to find out exactly what the new Sony Alpha A9 Mark II offers…
Specifications
General
- CAMERA TYPE
- Interchangeable lens digital camera
- LENS MOUNT
- E-mount
Camera Section
- SENSOR TYPE
- 35mm full frame (35.6 x 23.8 mm), Exmor RS CMOS sensor
- NUMBER OF PIXELS (TOTAL)
- Approx. 25.2 megapixels
- NUMBER OF PIXELS (EFFECTIVE)
- Still images: Approx. 24.6 megapixels max.,Movies: Approx. 20.3 megapixels max.
- OPTICAL LOW PASS FILTER
- Yes
- COLOR TEMPERATURE RANGE
- 2500 K – 9900 K
Image Sensor
- ANTI-DUST SYSTEM
- Yes
Recording (still images)
- RECORDING FORMAT
- JPEG (DCF Ver. 2.0, Exif Ver. 2.32, MPF Baseline compliant), HEIF (MPEG-A MIAF compliant), RAW (Sony ARW 5.0 format compliant)
- IMAGE SIZE (PIXELS) [3:2]
- 35mm full frame L: 6000 x 4000 (24 M), M: 3936 x 2632 (10 M), S: 3008 x 2000 (6.0 M)
Recording (movie)
- VIDEO COMPRESSION
- XAVC S: MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, XAVC HS: MPEG-H HEVC/H.265
- AUDIO RECORDING FORMAT
- LPCM 2ch (48 kHz 16 bit), LPCM 2ch (48 kHz 24 bit), LPCM 4ch (48 kHz 24 bit)
Recording system (movie)
- MOVIE RECORDING FORMAT (XAVC HS 4K)
- 3840 x 2160 (4:2:0, 10bit) (Approx.):119.88p (200Mbps),3840 x 2160 (4:2:0, 10bit) (Approx.):100p (200Mbps),3840 x 2160 (4:2:0, 10bit) (Approx.):59.94p (150Mbps / 75Mbps / 45Mbps),3840 x 2160 (4:2:0, 10bit) (Approx.):50p (150Mbps / 75Mbps / 45Mbps),3840 x 2160 (4:2:0, 10bit) (Approx.):23.98p (100Mbps / 50Mbps / 30Mbps),3840 x 2160 (4:2:2, 10bit) (Approx.):119.88p (280Mbps),3840 x 2160 (4:2:2, 10bit) (Approx.):100p (280Mbps),3840 x 2160 (4:2:2, 10bit) (Approx.):59.94p (200Mbps / 100Mbps),3840 x 2160 (4:2:2, 10bit) (Approx.):50p (200Mbps / 100Mbps),3840 x 2160 (4:2:2, 10bit) (Approx.):23.98p (100Mbps / 50Mbps)
- MOVIE RECORDING FORMAT (XAVC S 4K)
- 3840 x 2160 (4:2:0, 8bit) (Approx.):119.88p (200Mbps),3840 x 2160 (4:2:0, 8bit) (Approx.):100p (200Mbps),3840 x 2160 (4:2:0, 8bit) (Approx.):59.94p (150Mbps),3840 x 2160 (4:2:0, 8bit) (Approx.):50p (150Mbps),3840 x 2160 (4:2:0, 8bit) (Approx.):29.97p (100Mbps / 60Mbps),3840 x 2160 (4:2:0, 8bit) (Approx.):25p (100Mbps / 60Mbps),3840 x 2160 (4:2:0, 8bit) (Approx.):23.98p (100Mbps / 60Mbps),3840 x 2160 (4:2:2, 10bit) (Approx.):119.88p (280Mbps),3840 x 2160 (4:2:2, 10bit) (Approx.):100p (280Mbps),3840 x 2160 (4:2:2, 10bit) (Approx.):59.94p (200Mbps),3840 x 2160 (4:2:2, 10bit) (Approx.):50p (200Mbps),3840 x 2160 (4:2:2, 10bit) (Approx.):29.97p (140Mbps),3840 x 2160 (4:2:2, 10bit) (Approx.):25p (140Mbps),3840 x 2160 (4:2:2, 10bit) (Approx.):23.98p (100Mbps)
- MOVIE RECORDING FORMAT (XAVC S HD)
- 1920 x 1080 (4:2:0, 8bit) (Approx.):119.88p (100Mbps / 60Mbps),1920 x 1080 (4:2:0, 8bit) (Approx.):100p (100Mbps / 60Mbps),1920 x 1080 (4:2:0, 8bit) (Approx.):59.94p (50Mbps / 25Mbps),1920 x 1080 (4:2:0, 8bit) (Approx.):50p (50Mbps / 25Mbps),1920 x 1080 (4:2:0, 8bit) (Approx.):29.97p (50Mbps / 16Mbps),1920 x 1080 (4:2:0, 8bit) (Approx.):25p (50Mbps / 16Mbps),1920 x 1080 (4:2:0, 8bit) (Approx.):23.98p (50Mbps),1920 x 1080 (4:2:2, 10bit) (Approx.):59.94p (50Mbps),1920 x 1080 (4:2:2, 10bit) (Approx.):50p (50Mbps),1920 x 1080 (4:2:2, 10bit) (Approx.):29.97p (50Mbps),1920 x 1080 (4:2:2, 10bit) (Approx.):25p (50Mbps),1920 x 1080 (4:2:2, 10bit) (Approx.):23.98p (50Mbps)
- MOVIE RECORDING FORMAT (XAVC S-I 4K)
- 3840 x 2160 (4:2:2, 10bit) (Approx.):59.94p (600Mbps),3840 x 2160 (4:2:2, 10bit) (Approx.):50p (500Mbps),3840 x 2160 (4:2:2, 10bit) (Approx.):29.97p (300Mbps),3840 x 2160 (4:2:2, 10bit) (Approx.):25p (250Mbps),3840 x 2160 (4:2:2, 10bit) (Approx.):23.98p (240Mbps)
- MOVIE RECORDING FORMAT (XAVC S-I HD)
- 1920 x 1080 (4:2:2, 10bit) (Approx.):59.94p (222Mbps),1920 x 1080 (4:2:2, 10bit) (Approx.):50p (185Mbps),1920 x 1080 (4:2:2, 10bit) (Approx.):29.97p (111Mbps),1920 x 1080 (4:2:2, 10bit) (Approx.):25p (93Mbps),1920 x 1080 (4:2:2, 10bit) (Approx.):23.98p (89Mbps)
Movie Functions
- SLOW & QUICK MOTION (SHOOTING FRAME RATE)
- Yes
- PROXY RECORDING
- Yes
- TC / UB
- Yes
- RAW OUTPUT
- Yes (HDMI)
Recording System
- MEMORY CARD SLOT
- SLOT1: Multi slot for SD (UHS-I/II compliant) memory card / CFexpress Type A card, SLOT2: Multi slot for SD (UHS-I/II compliant) memory card / CFexpress Type A card
Focus System
- FOCUS TYPE
- Fast Hybrid AF (phase-detection AF / contrast-detection AF)
- FOCUS POINT
- Still images: Max. 759 points (phase-detection AF), Movies: Max. 627 points (phase-detection AF)
- FOCUS SENSITIVITY RANGE
- EV-5 to EV20 (ISO100 equivalent with F2.0 lens attached)
- RECOGNITION TARGET (STILL IMAGES)
- Human, Animal, Bird, Insect, Car, Train, Airplane
- RECOGNITION TARGET (MOVIES)
- Human, Animal, Bird, Insect, Car, Train, Airplane
- OTHER FEATURES
- AF Level for Crossing (Still), AF Track for Speed Change (Still), AF Subj. Shift Sensitivity (Movie), AF Transition Speed (Movie), Switch V/H AF Area, AF Area Regist., Circ. of Focus Point, Focus Map (Movie), AF Assist (Movie)
- AF ILLUMINATOR
- Yes (with Built-in LED type)
Exposure Control
- METERING TYPE
- 1200-zone evaluative metering
- METERING SENSITIVITY
- EV-5 to EV17 (ISO100 equivalent with F2.0 lens attached)
- EXPOSURE COMPENSATION
- +/- 5.0 EV (1/3 EV, 1/2 EV steps selectable)
- ISO SENSITIVITY
- Still images: ISO 250 – 25600 (expandable to ISO 125 – 51200), AUTO (ISO 250 – 12800, selectable lower limit and upper limit), Movies: ISO 250 – 25600 equivalent, AUTO (ISO 250 – 12800, selectable lower limit and upper limit)
- ANTI-FLICKER SHOOT.
- Yes
Viewfinder
- TYPE
- 1.6 cm (0.64 type) electronic viewfinder (Quad-XGA OLED)
- NUMBER OF DOTS
- 9 437 184 dots
- MAGNIFICATION
- Approx. 0.90x (with 50 mm lens at infinity, -1 m-1)
- DIOPTRE
- -4.0 to +3.0 m-1
- EYE POINT
- Approx. 25 mm from the eyepiece lens, 21 mm from the eyepiece frame at -1 m-1 (CIPA standard)
- FINDER FRAME RATE SELECTION
- NTSC mode: STD 60fps / HI 120fps / HIGHER 240fps, PAL mode: STD 50fps / HI 100fps / HIGHER 200fps
LCD Screen
- MONITOR TYPE
- 8.0 cm (3.2-type) type TFT
- TOUCH PANEL
- Yes
- NUMBER OF DOTS
- 2 095 104 dots
- ADJUSTABLE ANGLE
- Opening Angles (approx.): Up 98 °, down 40 °, side 180 °, rotation 270 °
Other Features
- OTHER FEATURES
- Soft Skin Effect, Creative Look, Custom function, Picture Profile, Time-lapse, Auto Framing, Pre-Capture, Continuous Shooting Speed Boost, NR Shooting
- CLEAR IMAGE ZOOM (STILL IMAGES)
- Approx. 2x
- CLEAR IMAGE ZOOM (MOVIES)
- Approx. 1.5x (4K), Approx. 2x (HD)
Shutter
- SHUTTER TYPE
- Electronic shutter
- SHUTTER SPEED
- Still images: 1/80000 to 30 s, Bulb, Movies: 1/8000 to 1 s
- FLASH SYNC. SPEED
- 1/80000 s, 1/500 s
Image Stabilization
- TYPE
- Image sensor-shift mechanism with 5-axis compensation (compensation depends on lens specifications)
- COMPENSATION EFFECT
- 8.0 stops (based on CIPA standard. Pitch/yaw shake only. With FE 50mm F1.2 GM lens mounted. Long exposure NR off.)
- MODE
- Still images: On / Off, Movie: Dynamic active / Active / Standard / Off
Flash
- TYPE
- –
- CONTROL
- Pre-flash TTL
- FLASH COMPENSATION
- +/- 3.0 EV (switchable between 1/3 and 1/2 EV steps)
- EXTERNAL FLASH COMPATIBILITY
- Sony α System Flash compatible with Multi Interface Shoe, attach the shoe adaptor for flash compatible with Auto-lock accessory shoe
Drive
- CONTINUOUS DRIVE SPEED (APPROX. MAX.)
- Hi+: 120 fps
Playback
- MODES
- Enlarged display mode, Protect, Rating, Shot Mark (Movie), Divider Frame, Crop, Photo Capture
Accessibility
- FUNCTIONS
- Screen Reader, Focus Magnifier, Focus Map (Movie), Peaking Display, Subject Recognition in AF, Touch Focus, Touch Tracking, Touch Shutter, Touch AE, Multi-angle LCD screen, Custom function
Interface
- PC INTERFACE
- Mass-storage / MTP
- MULTI / MICRO USB TERMINAL
- Yes
- USB TYPE-C TERMINAL
- Yes (SuperSpeed USB 5 Gbps (USB 3.2) compatible)
- NFC
- –
- SYNC TERMINAL
- Yes
- WIRELESS LAN（BUILT-IN）
- Yes (Wi-Fi Compatible, IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 GHz band/5 GHz band))
- BLUETOOTH
- Yes (Bluetooth Standard Ver. 5.0 (2.4 GHz band))
- HDMI OUTPUT
- HDMI connector (Type-A), 3840 x 2160 (30p / 25p / 24p) / 1920 x 1080 (60p / 50p / 24p) / 1920 x 1080 (60i / 50i), YCbCr 4:2:2 8bit / RGB 8bit, 4672 x 2628 (59.94p / 29.97p / 23.98p) , Raw 16bit
- MULTI INTERFACE SHOE
- Yes (with Digital Audio Interface)
- MIC TERMINAL
- Yes (3.5 mm Stereo minijack)
- HEADPHONE TERMINAL
- Yes (3.5 mm Stereo minijack)
- REMOTE CONTROL (WIRELESS)
- Yes (Bluetooth remote control)
- LAN TERMINAL
- Yes (1000BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 10BASE-T)
- FUNCTIONS
- FTP Transfer Func.(Wired LAN, USB Tethering, Wi-Fi), Send to smartphone, Remote control via smartphone, PC Remote
USB Streaming
- VIDEO DATA FORMAT
- MJPEG,YUV420
- VIDEO RESOLUTION
- 3840 x 2160 (15p / 30p),3840 x 2160 (12.5p / 25p),1920 x 1080 (30p / 60p),1920 x 1080 (25p / 50p),1280 x 720 (30p),1280 x 720 (25p)
- AUDIO DATA FORMAT
- LPCM 2ch (16bit 48 kHz)
Audio
- MICROPHONE
- Built-in, stereo, Built-in, voice memo
- SPEAKER
- Built-in, monaural
Lens Compensation
- SETTING
- Shading, Chromatic Aberration, Distortion, Breathing (Movie)
Power
- SUPPLIED BATTERY
- One rechargeable battery pack NP-FZ100
- BATTERY LIFE (STILL IMAGES)
- Approx. 400 shots (Viewfinder) / Approx. 530 shots (LCD monitor) (CIPA standard)
- BATTERY LIFE (MOVIE, ACTUAL RECORDING)
- Approx. 90 min (Viewfinder) / Approx. 95 min (LCD monitor) (CIPA standard)
- BATTERY LIFE (MOVIE, CONTINUOUS RECORDING)
- Approx. 145 min (Viewfinder) / Approx. 150 min (LCD monitor) (CIPA standard)
- INTERNAL BATTERY CHARGE
- Yes (Available with USB Type-C Terminal. USB Power Delivery compatible)
- USB POWER SUPPLY
- Yes (Available with USB Type-C Terminal. USB Power Delivery compatible)
- POWER CONSUMPTION WITH LCD SCREEN
- Still images: Approx. 4.8 W (with FE 28-70mm F3.5-5.6 OSS lens attached), Movies: Approx. 6.8 W (with FE 28-70mm F3.5-5.6 OSS lens attached)
Weight
- BODY ONLY
- Approx. 617 g / Approx. 1 lb 5.8 oz
Weight
- WEIGHT (WITH BATTERY AND MEMORY CARD INCLUDED)
- Approx. 702 g / Approx. 1 lb 8.8 oz
Size & Weight
- DIMENSIONS (W X H X D)
- Approx. 136.1 x 96.9 x 82.9 mm, Approx. 136.1 x 96.9 x 72.8 mm (from grip to monitor)/Approx. 5 3/8 x 3 7/8 x 3 3/8 inches, Approx. 5 3/8 x 3 7/8 x 2 7/8 inches (from grip to monitor)
Operating temparature
- OPERATING TEMPERATURE
- 0 – 40 ℃ / 32 – 104 °F
Supplied Accessory
- WHAT’S IN THE BOX
- Rechargeable Battery NP-FZ100, Battery Charger BC-QZ1, Power cord,Cable Protector, Shoulder strap, Body cap, Accessory shoe cap, Eyepiece cup
