Sony has announced that the new Alpha 9 III camera is now available for pre-order at a variety of Sony’s authorized dealers, for a suggested retail price of $5,999.99 USD and $8,299.99 CAN.
That isn’t exactly cheap for a camera, but the price point may be well justified, with it being the world’s very first full-frame camera with a global shutter system.
According to Sony, what this basically means is that users can use the Alpha 9 III to capture photos at burst speeds of up to 120 frames per second without rolling shutter distortion or camera blackout, enabling blackout-free shots every time.
Here’s what Sony has to say about some of the Alpha 9 III’s key features, which include a full-frame stacked 24.6 MP CMOS image sensor, as well as in-body image stabilization for clearer handheld shots at lower shutter speeds, although the maximum shutter speed appears to go up to 1/80000 second:
The Alpha 9 III is equipped with the newly developed, world’s first global shutter full frame stacked CMOS image sensor with approximately 24.6 effective megapixels and built-in memory. Combined with the latest image processing engine BIONZ XR, the Alpha 9 III achieves blackout-free Continuous Shooting Speed with AF/AE tracking of up to approximately 120 fps. The Alpha 9 III is supplied with high-density focal plane phase detection AF. A designated AI processing unit uses Real-time Recognition AF to recognize a wide variety of subjects with high precision. By combining high-speed performance of up to 120 fps with highly accurate subject recognition performance, it is possible to easily photograph scenes and moments that cannot be seen with the naked eye. The AI processing unit in the Alpha 9 III supports movies as well as still photography with accurate subject form and movement recognition. The Real-time Recognition AF and Real-time Tracking provide a significant improvement in human eye recognition performance, allowing the camera to automatically recognize, track, and focus on the eyes of a specified subject. The Alpha 9 III is equipped with 8.0 stops of optical 5-axis in-body image stabilization, allowing for high-quality image rendering.
Shutter speed is freed from the limitations of conventional mechanical shutter image sensors and achieves a maximum shutter speed of 1/80,000 second (1/16,000 second during continuous shooting), making it possible to capture at high speed without any distortion. When a compatible Sony flash is attached, such as the HVL-F60RM2 and HVL-F46RM (sold separately), it is possible to synchronize the flash and take pictures at all shutter speeds up to 1/80,000 secondv. Previously, if the user released the shutter at a speed faster than the flash’s synchronization speed, the amount of light would drop sharply, but with the full-speed flash synchronization function, it’s now possible to photograph scenes that could not be easily captured with conventional technology. Also, when shooting stills or movies under LED lighting, the Hi Frequency Flicker function can significantly reduce high-frequency flicker problems by allowing the shutter speed to be finely adjusted to match the flicker frequency while viewing the monitor.
Alpha 9 III users can also expect to shoot video in 4K/120p without any cropping, a first for an Alpha camera:
The global shutter image sensor provides distortion-free image expression for videos as well as still images. For example, the user can shoot images of nearby scenery from a fast-moving vehicle such as a car or fast-moving subjects with ease. This camera is the first in the Alpha series to be able to record 4K 120p high-frame-rate video without cropping, allowing the user to shoot at the angle of view intended. It is also possible to shoot high-resolution 4K 60p videos with 6K oversampling.
“The Alpha 9 III full-frame camera is a landmark achievement for the industry,” says Yang Cheng, Vice President, Imaging Solutions, Sony Electronics. “Designed with the needs and demands of professional photographers in mind, every single update to this camera – from the sensor to even the size to the button layouts and menu functions – has been made to address specific input and feedback from our community. We have listened and are thrilled to bring the new capabilities of the Alpha 9 III to market—capabilities which allow photographers to capture things they’ve never been able to capture before.” Cheng continued, “For professionals everywhere, they can achieve even more dynamic expressions when the Alpha 9 III is combined with our rich lineup of lenses, in particular with the new 300mm F2.8 G Master OSS – the world’s lightestii large-aperture telephoto lens.”