The Sony α9 III (model ILCE-9M3) is a professional
full-frame mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera
A mirrorless camera (sometimes referred to as a mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera (MILC) or digital single-lens mirrorless (DSLM)) is a digital camera which, in contrast to DSLRs, does not use a mirror in order to ensure that the image ...
produced by
Sony
is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...
. It is the first full-frame camera to use a global shutter; an image sensor that features no
rolling shutter
Rolling shutter describes the process of image capture in which a still picture (in a still camera) or each frame of a video (in a video camera) is captured not by taking a snapshot of the entire scene at a single instant in time but rather b ...
. The camera was announced by Sony on 7 November 2023, alongside the Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS prime telephoto lens. It was released in the spring of 2024.
Overview
The α9 III features an image sensor with a global shutter, and the first full-frame camera to feature one. This enables it to take still images and videos without any rolling shutter. It also allows it to sync to flashes at any shutter speed, up to its minimum shutter speed of 1/80000 second. This is in contrast to mechanical or electronic rolling shutters that have a longer minimum flash sync speed than the camera's minimum shutter speed. However, due to the increased circuitry required, global shutter sensors do not typically perform as well as rolling shutter sensors in low light performance and dynamic range. The α9 III has a base ISO speed of 250, higher than the α9 II's base ISO speed of 100.
The α9 III can shoot 14-bit
RAW image format
A camera raw image file contains unprocessed or minimally processed data from the image sensor of either a digital camera, a motion picture film scanner, or other image scanner. Raw files are so named because they are not yet processed, ...
pictures at 120 fps, with real time autofocus and a 192-photo buffer. It also features functionality to pre-capture a second of photos before the shutter is fully pressed, and a button to temporarily boost image burst rate while shooting. It can shoot video at 4K resolution at up to 120 fps without a sensor crop. It has a 9.44 million dot viewfinder with a 0.9× magnification, the same as the one in the
Sony α7R V
The Sony α7R V (model ILCE-7RM5) is a full-frame mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera manufactured by Sony. It was announced in October 2022 as the successor to the Sony α7R IV launched 2.5 years prior.
Image gallery
File:Sony A7R V - fron ...
. It also features the same 2 million dot tilt-and-articulating rear screen as the one in the α7R V, as well as a "dedicated AI processing unit" for autofocus subject recognition.
An optional battery grip was announced alongside the α9 III, the VG-C5. Sony claims that grip battery performance was improved by 15% by discharging its two batteries simultaneously instead of one at a time.
The α9 III was announced with a retail price of US$6,000, $1,500 higher than the α9 II.
History
The α9 III was announced at Sony's Creative Space 2023 event on 7 November in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, following the 10-year anniversary of Sony's first full-frame mirrorless camera, the
Sony α7
The Sony α7, α7R, α7S and α7C (the α is sometimes spelled out as Alpha) are four closely related families of full-frame mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras. The first two were announced in October 2013, Sony gave reviewers an opportunity to test the camera at the indoor
Chelsea Piers
Chelsea Piers is a series of piers in Chelsea, on the West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Located to the west of the West Side Highway ( Eleventh Avenue) and Hudson River Park and to the east of the Hudson River, they were originally ...
fitness center.
It is planned to release in Spring 2024. Photo equipment retailers list estimated ship or availability dates from 23 February to 28 February 2024.
Reception
Pre-release reception was positive. The introduction of a global shutter to a full-frame mirrorless camera was praised, with it being called a game changer for photography. Chris Niccolls of '' PetaPixel'' wrote that "There have only been a few times in my reviewing career where I would, in all seriousness, call something an actual game-changer. This is certainly one of those moments." He praised the camera's fast shutter speed and its ability to use flash or strobe lights without limitation, predicting that it would "make quite a splash at the upcoming
2024 Olympic Games
The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...
". James Artaius of ''Digital Camera World'' wrote that " ermslike 'game changer' are banded about quite liberally these days, but honestly – this is a camera that will transform the way we use cameras." He called it "the most incredible sports camera I've ever used", praising the ability of the camera's autofocus system to keep up with high burst rates, despite encountering some hiccups. Jason Vinson of ''Fstoppers'' similarly praised the camera's flash sync capability and burst image features, while noting there was an "added hassle" to syncing third-party flash systems at higher shutter speeds.
While received positively overall, journalists expressed reservations at various elements of the camera ahead of its release. Niccolls noted the camera's base ISO of 250, and wrote that its impact couldn't be evaluated until RAW files could be analyzed at release. Artaius noted the autofocus system as his "one and only misgiving" with the camera, wondering if it would be improved at release. Jaron Schneider of ''PetaPixel'' criticized the lack of
CFexpress
CFexpress is a standard for removable media memory card, cards by the CompactFlash Association (CFA). The standard uses the NVM Express protocol over a PCI Express, PCIe interface. 3 different form factors are available, with 1 to 4 PCI-E lanes ...
4.0 or CFexpress Type B support, with the camera's CFexpress 2.0 Type A slots imposing a bottleneck on buffer readout. Chris Gampat of ''The Phoblographer'' criticized its autofocus performance on subjects with darker skin tones in low light situations, comparing it unfavorably to the Nikon Z 9.
File:Sony ILCE-9M3 9 mar 2024b.jpg
File:Sony ILCE-9M3 9 mar 2024c.jpg
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