Sony 'α9 III' full-size mirrorless photography review, packed with advanced features like 'Global Shutter', '120 continuous frames per second' and '8 stops of image stabilization' – GIGAZINE

Sony Single Lens Mirrorless Camera Released January 26, 2024”α9 III” It is the world's first camera with a full-size sensor with a global shutter system, allowing you to capture distortion-free images. Moreover, the α9 III is equipped with an ultra-fast 120 fps continuous shooting function, a function that automatically recognizes the subject It has focus, and an 8-stop image stabilization function.I was able to borrow the Sony α9 III, so I actually took some still photos to check out its performance.

α9 III | Single-lens digital camera α (alpha) | Sony
https://www.sony.jp/ichigan/products/ILCE-9M3/

·table of contents
◆1:Equipped with a universal shutter that prevents rolling shutter distortion.
◆2:Produce your best shots in large quantities with 120 continuous frames per second and high-performance autofocus
◆3:I checked the color reproduction performance.
◆4:Excellent dark performance

You can check the details of α9 III's appearance and installed ports in the article below. This time I will introduce the E-mount lens to the α9 III.FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM IIWe captured images of a variety of subjects with the camera and verified the effectiveness of the global shutter and color reproduction performance. Please note that all images in this article were taken by hand without the use of a tripod, and have only been edited to reduce size for use on a web page.

I carefully examined the appearance and shutter sound of the α9 III full-size mirrorless single-lens camera that can shoot 120 images per second – GIGAZINE

◆1: Equipped with a global shutter, no rolling shutter distortion occurs.
The sensors of most single-lens mirrorless cameras use a mechanism that reads pixels sequentially, so when shooting with an electronic shutter, a phenomenon occurs in which the shape of objects moving at high speed is distorted. The α9 III is equipped with a global shutter sensor that reads all of the sensor's pixels simultaneously, allowing you to capture distortion-free images.

Below is a photo taken from the front with the α9 III of a train passing through the station. If you take a photo of a moving train with a camera that doesn't have a pan shutter, it will be distorted into a parallelogram, but with the α9 III I was able to take a photo without distortion.

Since no distortion occurs, it is possible to take images of a moving train without any distortion of the train or platform, as shown below. Although the train is passing at high speed, it appears stationary.

Below is a photo taken at a slow shutter speed so that the train appears to be moving. Another unique feature of the pan shutter is that there is no rolling shutter distortion in the flash.

◆2: Produce your best shots in large quantities with 120 continuous frames per second and high-performance AF
The α9 III is equipped with a “Subject Recognition AF” function that automatically recognizes and focuses on the subject. The recognition target can be selected from 'Person', 'Animal/Bird', 'Animal', 'Bird', 'Insect', 'Car/Train' or 'Airplane'.

When the recognition target was set to “car/train” and the camera was pointed at the train, the front of the train was surrounded by a square frame as shown below. If you take a photo in this case, you will be able to take a photo with the train in focus.

In addition, the α9 III is equipped with a super-fast continuous shooting function of up to 120 fps. By combining subject recognition AF with high-speed continuous shooting, users can “quickly point the camera at the subject, press and hold the shutter button at a time that feels good, and then use image management software to select the best shot.” ​​The process can be achieved.

The following images were captured using a combination of subject recognition AF and high-speed continuous shooting. By capturing 120 images per second, we were able to capture the moment when the car was in its best position.

◆3: Color reproduction performance verified
To test the α9 III's color reproduction performance, I set all settings, including white balance, to auto and took photos of food.

「Barbipal Nepalese RestaurantBelow is the result of taking a photo of meat on the bone. The burned areas are photographed without any black spots.

The panel in the photo below is actually more yellow-orange, but is depicted as white. This is probably due to the warm lighting.

Matsuya ShokomerlyI took a picture of it. Fate's shadow looks a little broken.

The rice turned out to be more orange than the actual color. This may be because the setting sun was rising from the right side of the image. α9 III When photographing food, it's better to set the white balance yourself rather than rely on the camera.

Below is a gaming laptop on a white desk inside.Razer Blade 16This is a picture of the box and power cable. Placing a black object on a white desk messes up the exposure, but with the α9 III I was able to automatically set the exposure to just the right amount.

This photo was taken with a white power strip sitting on a white desk. Part of the power bar is blended into the background. The α9 III's dynamic range appears narrower than that of a typical full-frame sensor camera.

◆4: Excellent dark performance
The previous generation model α9 II was equipped with 5.5 steps of image stabilization performance, but α9 III has upgraded the image stabilization performance to 8 steps. On the other hand, the α9 II's maximum standard ISO was 51,200, but the α9 III's maximum standard ISO has been reduced to 25,600. In order to check the α9 III's shooting performance in dark places, we took photos in different conditions.

First, let's take a photo of the “room with the lights off.” This is what the room looks like with the lights on.

When the lights are off, the white column in the foreground is only vaguely visible to the naked eye.

Below are images captured with the following settings: “Focal Length: 24mm”, “Shutter Speed: 0.8 sec”, “f-Value: 2.8”, “ISO Sensitivity 12800”. I was able to take photos that were brighter than the naked eye. Despite the poor conditions of the 0.8 second shutter speed, I was able to take photos without blur.

Move to the shrine at night. The only lighting is installed in the main shrine, which is very dark to the naked eye as shown below.

Below are images captured using “Focal Length: 32mm”, “Shutter Speed: 1/13 sec”, “f-Value: 2.8”, and “ISO 12,800”.

I exposed it to the same size and cut part of it off. It's beautifully photographed without looking like a coloring book.

I tried to see if I could take pictures of the stars while holding the camera skyward.

He succeeded in photographing the Orion constellation. The shooting settings are “Focal Length: 24mm”, “Shutter Speed: 1/5 sec”, “f-value: 2.8”, and “ISO Sensitivity 12800”.

I photographed flowers in a flower bed using “Focal Length: 58mm”, “Shutter Speed: 1/13 sec”, “F-Number: 2.8”, and “ISO 12,800”. Colors such as purple, orange, white and green can be reproduced.

When you display it at the same size and cut off part of it, it looks like this. Noise is relatively low considering the ISO sensitivity of 12800.

At the time of writing, the α9 III chassis alone was available on Amazon.co.jp for 792,000 yen including tax.

Amazon | Sony Full-Size Single Lens Mirrorless Camera α9Ⅲ Body (No Lens) Black ILCE-9M3 | Mail order single lens mirrorless camera

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