Sony Alpha 9 III – The first camera with a full-frame sensor and a universal shutter system

Sony introduces the Alpha 9 III with a newly developed 24.6MP sensor, the world’s first full-format sensor with an electronic center shutter (Global Shutter System). Because with a global shutter sensor, all pixels are loaded simultaneously during exposure – and not line by line as with a usual rolling shutter system – it is possible to obtain distortion-free images when taking photos and recording videos. For example, you can easily capture fast-moving subjects or capture passing landscapes in a car or train while traveling at high speed. The Alpha 9 III is the first camera in the Alpha series capable of recording 4K and 120p video without cropping. It’s also possible to create 4K and 60p HD videos with 6K upscaling. The camera handles continuous shooting with AF/AE tracking at up to 120fps without distortion or blackouts. The Alpha 9 III’s fastest possible shutter speed is 1/80,000 sec (1/16,000 sec for continuous shooting). Thanks to these features, the Alpha 9 III is ideal for sports photography.

The Alpha 9 III is equipped with phase detection AF, which uses a dedicated AI processing unit to realistically detect a variety of subject shapes and movements for both shooting and photography. Human eye recognition is significantly improved compared to the Alpha 9 II. Furthermore, new AF algorithms aim to ensure high AF accuracy up to 5 EV exposure levels in AF-S mode (ISO 100 equivalent, F2.0 lens). AF tracking for continuous shooting at F22 has also been improved. The new RAW image merge feature makes it possible to combine multiple consecutive shots into one high-quality image.

Focus range settings have been expanded to include a choice of which sizes can be retrieved if necessary.

Alpha 9 III also contains Via 5-axis image stabilizer with 8.0 exposure compensation.

Sony has made the grip shape more ergonomic so that the camera can be held easily and without fatigue, even when using a telephoto lens or for long recordings. Sony offers the VG-C5 Vertical Format Grip as an option.

The Alpha 9 III is also equipped with a 4-axis, angle-adjustable LCD display, which can be operated intuitively via the newly designed touch menu. The 9.44-million-dot Quad-XGA OLED electronic viewfinder offers approximately 0.90x magnification and the same brightness as the Alpha 7R V.

The new full-frame camera transfers data up to twice as fast as the Alpha 9 II. The 5GHz connection provides high speed and stability for instant data transfer via FTP, which is also required in studio environments. It also provides various options for recording photos and movies to storage media. Two media slots are available that support CFexpress Type A cards as well as UHS-I and UHS-II SD cards.

Sony has already announced a firmware update that will bring functional improvements to the Alpha 9 III, such as FTP functions, relay playback and support for the C2PA format.

Sony’s Alpha 9 III will be available from January 2024 for around €7,000. More information can be found at Sony website.