Sony Electronics on Tuesday  introduced the Alpha 9 III camera with the world’s first full-frame global shutter image sensor in a mirrorless hybrid. ​This is a big deal especially if you shoot fast-moving subjects. Sports photographers will finally get distortion-free images, and videographers won’t have to deal with the dreaded jello issues when panning. It’s a big win for all!

The LI5030SA has a pixel pitch of 6.4μm, and Canon claims that this sensor is able to achieve high dynamic range and low noise. The physical size of the sensor is 5688 x 3336 and it is capable of capturing up to 57.99fps in 12-bit, or 60fps in 5688 x 3240.

The newly developed global shutter image sensor exposes and reads all pixels simultaneously, unlike a rolling shutter sensor that records images sequentially from the top row of pixels to the bottom. The global shutter full-frame image sensor enables the camera to shoot at burst speeds of up to 120 frames per second with no rolling shutter distortion or camera blackout. This sensor is combined with Sony’s latest AF (autofocus) system, which uses AI to make up to 120 AF/AE focus calculations per second, with the added ability to sync flash at all shooting speeds. Speaking of flash sync you can use it up to the camera’s highest shutter speed which is an insane 1/80,000 Sec (1/16,000 second during continuous shooting).

This allows flash to be used for extra subject illumination when shooting outdoors in bright daylight with a high shutter speed, reducing the need for large lighting setups. This is great news for photographers who do flash photography.

This Alpha 9 III is the first in the Alpha series to be able to record 4K 120p high-frame-rate video without cropping. It is also possible to shoot 4K 60p videos with 6K oversampling.

The Alpha 9 III also incorporates S-Cinetone, which is a Rec.709 picture profile that was originally created through the development of the VENICE cinema camera and it is an option you can use if you prefer to bake in a look to your recording instead of shooting Log.

The Alpha 9 III tips the scales at 1.4 lb / 617 g (Body Only) and it has physical dimensions of 5.4 x 3.8 x 3.3″ / 136.1 x 96.9 x 82.9 mm.

Video Specifications

Just like a lot of Sony Alpha cameras, the Alpha 9 III can record in XAVC S or AVCHD. You can record up to 120p in UHD in 4:2:2 10-bit at a maximum bitrate of 600 Mb/s. What is nice is that you can capture UHD 120p without any sensor crop.

XAVC HS/XAVC S/XAVC S-I 4:2:2/4:2:0 8/10-Bit
UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) at 23.98/25/29.97/50/59.94/100/120 fps (30 to 600 Mb/s)
1920 x 1080 at 23.98/25/29.97/50/59.94/100/120 fps (16 to 222 Mb/s)

Raw 16-Bit via HDMI
4672 x 2628 at 23.98/29.97/59.94 fps

4:2:2 8-Bit via HDMI
UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) at 23.98/25/29.97 fps
1920 x 1080 at 23.98/50/59.94 fps
1920 x 1080i at 50/59.94 fps

MOVIE FUNCTIONS
Audio Level Display, Audio Rec Level, PAL/NTSC Selector, Proxy Recording (1280 x 720 (Approx.9Mbps)), TC/UB (TC Preset/UB Preset/TC Format/TC Run/TC Make/UB Time Rec), Auto Slow Shutter, REC Control, Clean HDMI Info. (ON/OFF selectable), Gamma Disp. Assist

There is no nasty recording length duration when using the camera.

As you would expect, there are no anamorphic or open-gate shooting modes on the Alpha 9 III. While it is certainly a capable video camera, the Alpha 9 III is primarily targeted at high-end sports and wildlife photographers.

While there is nothing wrong with having a global shutter for shooting video, most modern-day cameras have very low amounts of rolling shutter. It does, however, depend on what you are shooting, but we have been able to work with rolling shutter CMOS sensor cameras for many years now, and unless you are doing very quick whip pans at 23.98,24,25p, etc. not having a global shutter camera is hardly a big deal. I think most users would take the increased dynamic range and low light capabilities a rolling shutter CMOS sensor offers over a global shutter.

Sensor

The Alpha 9 III uses a newly developed global shutter full-frame stacked CMOS image sensor with approximately 24.6 effective megapixels and built-in memory. When 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.

(1) Pixel area (2) Hi-speed signal processing circuit (3) Image processing engine.

The AI processing unit in the Alpha 9 III allows for Real-time Recognition AF and Real-time Tracking providing a significant improvement in human eye recognition performance, allowing the camera to automatically recognize, track, and focus on the eyes of a specified subject.

Pricing & Availability

The Alpha 9 III camera is available for pre-order on Nov. 8, 2023, for a suggested retail price of $5,999.99 USD and $8,299.99 CAN.