Laying claim to the title of world’s first global shutter mirrorless camera, the Sony a9 III is a speedy and incredibly capable system for sports, wildlife, photojournalism, and much, much more. This revolutionary sensor technology raises the bar for full-frame imaging, including the ability to shoot raw continuously at up to 120 fps and enjoy flash sync up to the maximum shutter speed of 1/80,000 second. Blending the functionality of this 24.6MP sensor with Sony’s powerful BIONZ XR processor and AI Processing Unit results in a system that will provide unmatched performance for those looking for an incredibly responsive and reliable camera system.
Global Shutter—A First for Mirrorless
Sony has delivered the world’s first full-frame global shutter mirrorless camera with the a9 III. The use of a global shutter provides a leap in performance over the rolling shutter technology used for decades. A global shutter provides a near instantaneous and simultaneous readout of all 24.6MP, eliminating skew and other artifacts that plagued rolling shutters. It also far surpasses mechanical shutter technology is every way, making the physical shutter unnecessary in the a9 III.
Global Shutter—A First for Mirrorless
Global shutters help ensure consistent and uniform exposure across the entire frame in all lighting conditions. Flash sync is possible at any shutter speed-even the maximum of 1/80,000 second. The simultaneous readout also prevents banding from certain light sources, such as fluorescent lighting. In a gym, outside, or with mixed artificial lighting the a9 III will handle it with ease.
Flash photography and mixed lighting conditions will see major usability enhancements with the use of a global shutter. This includes the ability to sync at up to 1/80,000 second with any flash. Sony flashes will benefit from communication that ensures optimal results and third-party flashes can be synced with the shutter by using a menu setting to adjust the delay.
Pre-Capture & Speed Boost—Never Miss a Moment
Along with the key technology delivered by the sensor, the a9 III offers features new features to unlock the camera’s full potential.
Pre-Capture: The a9 III can be configured to begin recording images to the buffer when the shutter button is half-pressed. Users can set this between 0.05-1.0 second. Upon pressing the shutter these images will be saved to the memory card.
Speed Boost: Not every shoot calls for the a9 III’s impressive max speed of 120 fps. With Speed Boost and the C5 button, which is conveniently placed near the grip on the front of the camera, users can instantly switch their camera from their usual continuous shooting frame rate to a faster one to make sure their next shot is just right. Photographers will be able to select various frame rates up to 120 fps.
Pro-Quality 4K Video
While video benefits greatly from the use of global shutter technology-rolling shutter and banding artifacts are completely eliminated-the a9 III boasts plenty of other video improvements over its predecessor worth talking about.
The a9 III captures and downsamples the full 6K image area to produce high-quality UHD 4K video up to 60 fps. It can also record 4K up to 120 fps with no crop.
Record 10-bit 4:2:2 internally using All-I encoding for maximum quality.
Output 16-bit raw via the full-size HDMI port to a compatible external recorder.
S-Log3, S-Cinetone, and other Picture Profiles are available for optimizing the image for your workflow and production environment.
Refined Body Design
With a new generation of Alpha-series cameras comes some slight tweaks and modifications designed to make the operation of the system more ergonomic. The a9 III features a handful of updates:
Addition of C5 custom button to front of camera body.
Continuous shooting mode dial can now be disabled and shooting speed can be adjusted in the menu.
Enhanced grip and the shutter button has been slightly moved to provide a more ergonomic experience.
Dual CFexpress Type A/SD card slots provide versatility, allowing users to use existing media or pick up the faster CFexpress options to take full advantage of the a9 III’s increased speed.
USB-C port now offers faster USB 3.2 Gen 2 speeds of up to 10 Gb/s.
3.2″ 2.1m-dot 4-axis multi-angle touchscreen LCD-first seen on the a7R V. This screen has a wide color gamut covering the DCI-P3 space.
9.44m-dot 0.90x OLED electronic viewfinder with maximum refresh rate of 240 fps. The a9 III benefits from maximum quality viewing at up to 120 fps.
Ethernet port for advanced networking and data transfer workflows.
The optional VG-C5 Vertical Grip is designed to match the updated ergonomics of the a9 III, including the new C5 button.
Enhanced Functionality and Usability
Sony has continued to improve the workflows of their professional cameras with upgraded and additional features:
A voice memo function promises clearer recording with a microphone located close to the user. These memos can be transferred via FTP and can be converted to text using Sony’s Transfer & Tagging application.
IPTC metadata can be automatically added to images and up to 20 presets can be saved.
Image bursts can now be set to display as a group during playback to make it easier to navigate through a shoot, especially when using the a9 III’s fastest continuous shooting rates.
Built-in Wi-Fi and Ethernet can be used for fast networked data transfer during shooting.
The a9 III is designed to be used in a wide ranging of shooting conditions and is weather sealed to protect it from the elements.
A shading curtain activates when the camera is powered off, protecting the camera’s sensor from dust and the elements.
Future Firmware Updates
The Sony a9 III is going to get better with time and there are some details on what to expect in future firmware updates:
The ability to shooting continuously at up to 120 fps when using the maximum shutter speed of 1/80,000 second.
Workflow enhancements for IPTC metadata and FTP functions.
Addition of C2PA technology from the Content Authenticity Initiative.
