Welcome to my key spec and feature comparison between the Sony A9 and the Sony A9III.
Please note that this article is a work in progress and will be updated with a more in-depth comparison between these two cameras very soon.
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Features
| Feature | Sony A9 | Sony A9 III |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | April 19th, 2017 | November 7th, 2023 |
| Camera Type | Mirrorless | Mirrorless |
| Sensor Size | 35mm full frame (35.6×23.8mm) | 35mm full frame (35.6 x 23.8 mm) |
| Sensor Type | Stacked Exmor RS™ CMOS image sensor | Stacked Exmor RS™ CMOS image sensor with global shutter |
| Resolution | 24.2 MP | 24.6 MP |
| Sensor Pixel Size | 5.93 µm | |
| Pixel Dimensions | 6000 x 4000 | 6000 x 4000 |
| Image Processor | BIONZ X™ | BIONZ XR™ |
| Low Pass Filter | Yes | Yes |
| IBIS (In-Body Image Stabilization) | Yes (5 Steps) | Yes (8 Steps) |
| ISO (Mechanical Shutter) | ISO 100 – 51200 | – |
| ISO (Mechanical Shutter) Expanded | ISO 50 – ISO 204800 | – |
| ISO (Electronic Shutter) | ISO 100 – 25600 | ISO 250 – 25600 |
| ISO (Electronic Shutter) Expanded | ISO 50 – 25600 | ISO 125 – 51200 |
| High-Resolution Sensor Shift (Pixel Shift) | No | No |
| Composite RAW NR Shooting | No | Yes |
| Focus Bracketing | No | ? |
| Full Time DMF | No | Yes |
| Pre Capture | No | Yes |
| Continuous Shooting Speed Boost | No | Yes |
| XL and XS Focus Area Spot Sizes | No | Yes |
| Fastest Shutter Speed (Mechanical Shutter) | 1/8000 s | – |
| Fastest Shutter Speed (Electronic Shutter) | 1/32000 s | 1/80,000s but limited to 1/16,000s when shooting continuously. |
| Longest Shutter Speed | 30 seconds + Bulb | 30 seconds + Bulb |
| Continuous Shooting (Mechanical Shutter) | 5 FPS | – |
| Continuous Shooting (Electronic Shutter) | 20 FPS | 120 FPS |
| Notes for High FPS Shooting | ||
| Buffer Size (RAW Uncompressed) | 128 | ? |
| Buffer Size (RAW Compressed) | 241 | ? |
| Buffer Size (RAW Lossless Compressed) | – | ? |
| Buffer Size (JPEG Extra Fine L) | 362 | ? |
| Buffer Size (JPEG Fine L) | 362 | ? |
| Buffer Size (HEIF) | – | ? |
| Autofocus System | Fast Hybrid AF (phase-detection AF / contrast-detection AF) | Fast Hybrid AF (phase-detection AF / contrast-detection AF) |
| AF Subject Detection | Humans (Eye AF) | Humans, animals, birds, insects, cars/trains, and airplanes |
| Autofocus Points | 35mm full frame: 693 points (phase-detection AF), APS-C mode with FF lens: 299 points (phase-detection AF), with APS-C lens: 221 points (phase-detection AF) / 425 points (contrast-detection AF) | Still images: Max. 759 points (phase-detection AF), Movies: Max. 627 points (phase-detection AF) |
| Maximum Low-Light AF Sensitivity (Standardized to f/2, ISO 100) | EV-3 | EV-5 |
| Standard Flash Sync Speed | 1/250 sec | 1/80000 s (with compatible Sony flash). |
| Curtain to Protect Sensor at Shutdown (Shutter Power Off) | No | Yes |
| Interval Shooting | Yes | Yes (with built in time-lapse) |
| Soft Skin Effect (stills / movies) | No | Yes |
| Creative Look | No (uses older Creative Styles). | Yes (10 looks with 8 adjustments for each look: contrast, highlights, shadows, fade, saturation, sharpness, sharpness range, and clarity) |
| Creative Styles | Yes 13 Styles and contrast, saturation and sharpness can be adjusted. | No. Replaced by Creative Look. |
| My Image Style | No | No |
| Background Defocus | No | No |
Video Specific Features
| Feature | Sony A9 | Sony A9III |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum Video Bit Depth (Internal) | 8-bit 4:2:0 | 10-bit 4:2:2 All-I |
| External Raw Video | No | 16-bit RAW (HDMI) |
| 8K Maximum Frame Rate | – | – |
| 4K Maximum Frame Rate | 24/30p (no crop) | 120p (no crop) 60p (oversampled) |
| 1080P Maximum Frame Rate | 120p | 120p |
| Recording Formats | XAVC S, AVCHD format Ver. 2.0 compliant | XAVC S: MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, XAVC HS: MPEG-H HEVC/H.265 |
| Video Recording Limit | Yes. 30 Minutes | No |
| S-Cinetone | No | Yes |
| Picture Profiles (stills/movies) | No | Yes |
| Active Stabilization | No | Yes |
| Focus Breathing Compensation | No | Yes |
| Import User LUT Files | No | ? |
| AI Auto Framing | No | Yes |
| Focus Map | No | Yes |
| AF Assist | No | Yes |
| Time Code (TC) | Yes | Yes |
| In-Camera Time-Lapse Creation | No | Yes |
| Framing Stabilizer | No | – |
| Product Showcase Set | No | – |
| Cinematic Vlog Setting | No | – |
| Multiple Face Recognition in Intelligent Auto Mode | No | – |
Physical & Other Features
| Feature | Sony A9 | Sony A9III |
|---|---|---|
| Card Slots | 2 | 2 |
| Slot 1 Type | SD (UHS-II / I) | CFexpress Type-A + SD (UHS-II / I) |
| Rear LCD Size (Diagonal) | 7.5cm (3.0-type) type TFT | 8.0 cm (3.2-type) type TFT |
| Rear LCD Resolution | 1,440,000 dots | 2 095 104 dots |
| Articulating LCD | Up by approx. 107 degrees, Down by approx. 41 degrees | Opening Angles (approx.): Up 98 °, down 40 °, side 180 °, rotation 270 ° |
| Touchscreen | Yes (touch focus + tracking) | Yes (advanced touchscreen with swipe, touch focus + tracking) |
| Viewfinder | EVF | EVF |
| Viewfinder Magnification | Aapprox. 0.78 x | Approx. 0.90x |
| Viewfinder Resolution | 3 686 400 dots | 9 437 184 dots |
| Viewfinder Frame Rate | Standard (60 fps), High (120 fps) | Standard (60 fps), High (120 fps), or Higher (240 fps) |
| Voice Memo | No | Yes |
| Headphone Jack | Yes (3.5 mm Stereo minijack) | Yes (3.5 mm Stereo minijack) |
| Microphone Jack | Yes (3.5 mm Stereo minijack) | Yes (3.5 mm Stereo minijack) |
| Built-in Microphone | Built-in, stereo | Built-in, stereo |
| Built-in Flash | No | No |
| GPS | No | No |
| Bluetooth | Yes (Bluetooth Standard Ver. 4.1 (2.4GHz band)) | Yes (Bluetooth Standard Ver. 5.0 (2.4 GHz band)) |
| WiFi | Yes (IEEE 802.11b/g/n (2.4GHz band)) | Yes (IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 GHz band/5 GHz band)) |
| USB | No Type-C Terminal | Yes Type-C® Terminal (SuperSpeed USB 5 Gbps (USB 3.2) compatible) |
| Multi / Micro USB Terminal | Yes. Hi-Speed USB (USB 2.0) | Yes. Hi-Speed USB (USB 2.0) |
| HDMI Port | Yes. HDMI micro connector (Type-D) | Yes. HDMI connector (Type-A) |
| LAN Terminal | Yes | Yes (1000BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 10BASE-T) |
| NFC | Yes (NFC forum Type 3 Tag compatible),One-touch remote,One-touch sharing | – |
| Multi Interface Shoe | Yes | Yes (with Digital Audio Interface) |
| Battery Type | NP-FZ100 | NP-FZ100 |
| USB Power Delivery | No | Yes |
| Battery Life Stills | Approx. 480 shots (Viewfinder) / approx. 650 shots (LCD monitor) (CIPA standard) | Approx. 400 shots (Viewfinder) / Approx. 530 shots (LCD monitor) (CIPA standard) |
| Battery Life Video Actual Recording | Approx. 105 min (Viewfinder) / Approx. 120 min (LCD monitor) (CIPA standard) | Approx. 90 min (Viewfinder) / Approx. 95 min (LCD monitor) (CIPA standard) |
| Battery Life Video Continuous Recording | Approx. 185 min (Viewfinder) / Approx. 195 min (LCD monitor)(CIPA standard) | Approx. 145 min (Viewfinder) / Approx. 150 min (LCD monitor) (CIPA standard) |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Weight (Body Only) | Approx. 617 g (1 lb 5.8 oz) | |
| Weight (With Battery & Card) | Approx. 588 g / Approx. 1 lb 4.7 oz | Approx. 702 g (1 lb 8.8 oz) |
| Dimensions (LxHxD) | Approx. 126.9mm x 95.6mm x 63.0mm | Approx. 136.1 x 96.9 x 82.9 mm |
| Operating Temperature | 32 – 104 degrees F / 0 – 40 degrees C | 0 – 40 ℃ / 32 – 104 °F |
Price
The Sony A9 has now been discontinued and you can no longer purchase this camera new. There are some great used deals to be found though.
The Sony A9III costs a whopping $1500 dollars more than the launch price of the original A9 Mark I.
| Sony A9 | Sony A9 III | |
|---|---|---|
| MRSP Body-Only | $4,500.00 | $5,998.00 / £6,099.00 |
| Check Prices / Deals | Discontinued | B&H Photo | Amazon |
Bodies
The dimensions and weights of each camera are as follows:
- A9: 126.9mm x 95.6mm x 63.0mm (588 g / 1 lb 4.7 oz with battery and memory card)
- A9III: 136.1 x 96.9 x 82.9 mm (702 g / 1 lb 8.8 oz with battery and memory card)
Sony A9
Sony A9 III
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