Sony's New A9 III Mirrorless Is Fast Enough Your Smartphone Camera Can't Compete
Four years after Sony launched its high-end, full-frame professional camera, the Sony A9 II, the company has finally come up with a successor. The new camera— the Sony A9 III—comes with several new features over its predecessor, including the world's first full-frame global shutter image sensor, a dedicated AI processing unit, and support for real-time recognition autofocus. The camera is also capable of shooting 120 blackout-free frames per second.
The star of the show is the world's first full-frame global shutter image sensor, which, according to Sony, eliminates the dreaded rolling shutter distortion that cameras with large sensors are infamous for. The camera features Sony's full-frame stacked 24.6-megapixel CMOS image sensor. It boasts a buffer depth of 1.6 seconds, with the capability to shoot 14-bit RAW in this mode. The A9 III also gets an EVF that has the same refresh rate as the camera can shoot—120Hz.
The camera also supports eight-level, five-axis in-body image stabilization, which should translate to stabler videos and crisper photos compared to its predecessors.
Sony A9 III: Expensive, Tailor-Made for Professionals
At a starting price tag of $5,999, there is no denying that the Sony A9 III is strictly meant for true professionals. For pro videographers, the camera offers a wealth of features, including S-Cinetone — a Sony-exclusive feature that makes it simpler for editors to achieve a cinematic look without the need for post-processing — support for S-Log3, as well as Sony's "Monitor & Control" app. For photographers, the camera supports Sony's newest AF algorithms and promises good performance even in light levels as low as EV-5 in AF-S mode.
The Alpha 9 III gets a large touch-enabled LCD monitor that supports various orientation options. The EVF uses a 9.44 million-dot Quad XGA OLED and attains the same brightness levels as the Sony Alpha 7R V, with a magnification of approximately 0.90x.
The new AI-powered features of the Sony A9 III include better image recognition and a major improvement in its ability to recognize, track, and focus on the eyes of a chosen subject. Another important feature addition to the A9 III is the High-Frequency Flicker function that claims to reduce issues photographers and videographers face when shooting under LED lighting.
Customers interested in getting the Sony A9 III would be happy to know that the camera will be up for pre-order starting Nov. 8, 2023, for a suggested retail price of $5,999.99. The company hasn't revealed how soon the first shipments are expected to reach consumers.