Sony Launches Alpha 9 III - Full-Frame Sensor and Global Shutter System
Sony Alpha 9 III - The world's first full-frame camera with a Global Shutter systemi
The new generation Alpha 9 III offers high-speed shooting up to 120 frames per second, distortion-free and blackout-free images, flash synchronization at all shooting speeds, and many more features.
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November 7, 2023 – Today, Sony introduces the new revolutionary Alpha 9 III (α9 III) camera, equipped with the world's first full-frame sensor with a global shutter system.
It allows the camera to shoot at high speeds of up to 120 fps without distortion or image blackout. With this innovative sensor and Sony's most advanced AF system to date, the camera boasts AI autofocus capable of up to 120 AF/AE focus calculations per second, as well as flash synchronization at all shooting speeds; the α9 III opens up a whole new world of possibilities for professional photographers to capture the decisive moment.
“The new Alpha 9 III is a landmark achievement for Sony’s digital imaging business,” said Yann Salmon Legagneur, Director, IP&S Marketing, Sony Europe. “Every new technology in this camera – from the sensor to the size and placement of every button and every menu function – has been developed with how we can best meet the needs and demands of professional photographers in mind, how to address the specific requests and feedback from our community of digital photographers. We listened to what they had to say, and we are overjoyed that the new capabilities the Alpha 9 III offers are now a reality... These are capabilities that allow photographers to capture things they couldn’t before.” Salmon Legagneur added, “Creators around the world can now achieve even more dynamic and expressive shots by combining the Alpha 9 III with our extensive lens lineup, and especially with the new 300mm F2.8 G Master – the world’s lightest large-aperture telephoto lens.”
α9 III Features
The world's first global shutter sensor unlocks new dimensions in photography:
The new α9 III is equipped with the world's first new full-frame stacked CMOS sensor with a global shutter and approximately 24.6 effective megapixels and integrated memory, combined with the latest BIONZ XR® processor. This achieves blackout-free continuous shooting with AF/AE tracking at up to approximately 120 frames per second. The new α9 III offers a high-density focal plane phase-detection AF. A dedicated AI processing unit uses real-time recognition AF to recognize various subjects with high precision. Thanks to the combination of high shooting speed up to 120fps and extremely precise subject recognition, you can now easily capture decisive scenes and moments that cannot be caught with the naked eye. The AI processing unit used in α9 III supports video and still image recording with accurate subject recognition and movement tracking, which is a significant improvement over human eye recognition in Real-time Recognition AF and Real-time Tracking, automatically recognizing, tracking, and focusing on the eyes of a specific subject. The α9 III offers 8.0 stops of optical 5-axis in-body image stabilization, allowing for high-quality image rendering.
The shutter speed is not limited by the technical capabilities of sensors with traditional mechanical shutters, thanks to which a maximum shutter speed of 1/80000 of a second (1/16000 seconds in continuous shooting) is achieved, making it possible to capture high-speed frames without distortion. If a compatible Sony flash, such as the HVL-F60RM2 or HVL-F46RM (sold separately), is attached, the flash can be synchronized for shots at all shutter speeds up to 1/80000 of a second. In previous models, if the user released the shutter at a speed faster than the flash sync speed, the amount of light dropped sharply, but with the full flash sync function at all speeds, it is now possible to capture scenes that cannot be easily captured with conventional technologies. When shooting photographs or video clips with LED lighting, the Hi Frequency Flicker function can significantly reduce high-frequency light flicker issues by allowing the shutter speed to be precisely adjusted to the flicker frequency while monitoring the screen.
α9 III offers various release lag modes, allowing the user to prioritize shutter release lag or viewfinder/screen display. The new Pre-Capture function allows the user to go back up to 1 second and record the moment before pressing the shutter, changing the Continuous Shooting Speed Boost during shooting and greater durability, which guarantees capturing important moments thanks to the large buffer memory and overall higher system speed, allowing recording of approximately 390 Fine JPEG frames in a single 30 fps series.
Customizable focus areas have been expanded to include sizes from XS to XL instead of the previous S, M, and L. The Preset Focus/Zoom function allows saving preset focus and zoom settings in the camera for quick recall when needed. In addition to the existing standard white balance frame size, the user can now also use other sizes depending on their needs, allowing for fine-tuning of white balance after framing the shot. The α9 III offers advanced features such as the latest AF algorithms for achieving high AF precision even in low light levels down to EV-5 in AF-S mode (ISO 100 equivalent, F2.0 lens), AF tracking for continuous shooting at F22 and composite RAW shooting, which allows you to combine multiple consecutive frames into a single high-speed image.
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Advanced distortion-free video features
The global shutter sensor delivers impressive distortion-free images for both video clips and stills. For example, the user can easily shoot the close-up view from a fast-moving vehicle such as a car or fast-moving objects. This camera is the first in the Alpha™ series that can record high frame rate 4K 120p video without cropping, allowing the user to shoot from the desired angle of view. It is also possible to record video clips with high 4K 60p resolution and 6K oversampling.
α9 III uses the S-Cinetone™ gamma, which was developed during the creation of the VENICE digital cinema camera for video productions, to help human skin and subjects stand out beautifully and create natural bright highlights. The α9 III offers the latest video features, including rich gradation and S-Log3, and in Log mode, it can reflect and display the user's favorite imported LUTs. The α9 III is compatible with the "Monitor & Control" mobile app for video content creators.
Functionality and Reliability for Professionals
Sony listens to the voices of professional photographers and creates functionality and reliability that meet their needs. The shape of the grip has been improved with an ergonomic design that fits easily and comfortably in the user's hand without unnecessary strain, even when using a telephoto lens for extended periods of time.
The VG-C5 vertical grip (sold separately) offers the same convenient functionality as for horizontal shooting and provides comfortable support for extended shooting sessions. The grip and shutter area have the same design as the main camera body, allowing you to capture shots without any discomfort with the same functionality as the camera body. The α9 III offers a 4-axis rotating LCD screen that can be touch-operated for intuitive operation when using the updated menu. The electronic viewfinder uses Quad XGA OLED with 9.44 million dots and achieves high visibility with the same brightness as the α7R V and magnification of approximately 0.90. A custom button is placed on the front of the camera, allowing you to quickly and easily change the continuous shooting speed from the custom button when it is assigned the Continuous Shooting Speed Boost function, while your finger comfortably holds the grip. This design is especially useful for professional photographers who shoot in all environments.
High-speed workflow and large volume handling for immediate delivery of captured material
One of the new features of the α9 III is a playback filter for images, with which the user can easily and effectively select a large number of images during high-speed continuous shooting, and a new function menu can be used even during playback. Both functions support the professional workflow from capture to delivery of the frames.
You can now use a new functional menu during playback to easily and efficiently select a large number of frames during high-speed continuous shooting. The "Playback Function" menu can be pre-set so you can easily perform various operations such as frame protection, transfer to smartphone, FTP transfer, etc. during playback. Users can now select frames filtered with the Playback filter and play them back from the functional menu for easier delivery of specific frames. The camera is equipped with a separate microphone on the back for voice memos, which is located close to the mouth for clear audio recording even in noisy environments. Recorded audio data can be transferred via FTP along with the frames. The camera allows the user to set up to 20 presets from ITPC (International Press Telecommunications Council), an international advisory body involving journalistic organizations from various countries.
α9 III can transfer data up to twice as fast compared to α9 II. With 5 GHz communication, maximum speed and stability are offered for news and sports reporters who need to deliver their material instantly via FTP, as well as when working in studio conditions. The α9 III allows you to record photos and videos to media in various ways and includes two media card slots that support CFexpress Type A, as well as UHS-I and UHS-II SD.
The camera is compatible with the professional mobile application "Transfer & Tagging", which further speeds up the workflow until the delivery of the frames, and the "Remote Camera Tool" application, which allows remote shooting from a PC with a wired LAN connection. Sony also plans to support a new version of Camera Remote SDK, a software development kit that allows remote control of the camera and changing shooting settings.
Sony will continue to expand various functions such as focus breathing correction, sequential playback, and C2PA format support for α1, α7S III, and α9 III in the future,xvii to meet the needs of professionals.
For more detailed information, please visit: https://www.sony.bg/electronics/smeniaemi-obektivi-fotoaparati/ilce-9m3
Archived video from the special Alpha event: https://youtube.com/live/nw8dSFwPJdI
