Sony a9 III Camera With Global Shutter and FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens Announced

Camera NewsLens News

by Omri Keren LapidotNovember 7^th, 2023

The anniversary of Sony’s Alpha line is being celebrated with the announcement of two groundbreaking products – the Sony a9 III, the first camera to ever use a global-shutter full-frame sensor, and the world’s lightest 300mm f/2.8 lens – the FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS, weighing a mere 1470g and completing Sony’s tele-prime lineup.

The original Sony a9 introduced the stacked CMOS sensor to the world. Though not common per se, stacked sensors carved their own niche among high-end speed-oriented cameras such as the Canon EOS R3, FUJIFILM X-H2s, and Sony’s own flagship – the Sony a1. Being a speed pioneer, the a9 series needed something new, and that turned out to be the world’s first full-frame global shutter sensor. This kind of sensor sets the stage for some awe-inspiring features, so let’s dive in.

The a9 III – a new standard for capture speed?

As the third iteration of Sony’s speed-oriented camera, the new a9 provides a record-breaking spec sheet:

• Blackout-free 120(!) fps with automatic focus and exposure
• 1/80,000 sec maximum shutter speed (1/16,000 during continuous shooting)
• Flash sync at every shutter speed
• 8-stop 5-axis Synchronized image stabilisation
• Improved ergonomics

Such impressive abilities come from the brand new 24.6mp full-frame stacked sensor, but this one is different than any other full-framer preceding it. It’s a global shutter.

Full-frame global shutter – first ever on a full-frame sensor

At the core of the Sony a9 III is the world’s first FF global shutter. “Global Shutter” means that all 24.6 million pixels capture light at the same time, completely eliminating any rolling shutter effect. For us motion creators, it also means no flickering whatsoever, which makes it a very capable extreme action camera or a crash cam.

With a new Exmor processing chip, the camera is capable of 120 14-bit RAW frames per second in stills mode. Though Sony emphasized the a9 III’s stills capabilities, it’s also an extremely capable video machine boasting some unique features and abilities:

• Zero rolling shutter effect at every speed and resolution
• Crop-free 4K 120p
• Oversampled 4K 60p
• Internal 4:2:2 10-bit all-I
• 16-bit RAW output
• S-Cinetone and S-Log3 color spaces

Improved ergonomics and indications

The Sony a9 III improves various ergonomic aspects by rearranging its button layout, improving the grip and overall user experience. The LCD gets an impressive upgrade. The new 2095K dots panel will support a wide color gamut (DCI-P3) and is now fully articulated. The EVF gets the industry’s high-end standard of 9.44 million-dot resolution, but most importantly, we can still get the highest quality at 120fps. The frame rate can be boosted up to 240fps, but that will lower the quality a bit. As a professional camera, the a9 gets an impressive array of ports, including ethernet, full-size HDMI-A, USB-C, PC-Sync, Mic, and headphone jack. all are encased within a rugged and sealed magnesium alloy chassis.

The world’s lightest full-frame 300mm f/2.8 – the FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS

The new FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS will tip the weights at 1470g, making it as light as a 70-200 f/2.8. Sony also emphasizes the exceptional balance of the lens that will make hand-held shooting a breeze. As is the case with most professional telephoto primes, the FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS boasts a plethora of control points for both focusing and image stabilization. A new function ring will let you switch between full-frame capture and APS-C capture for that extra reach. There’s no information about any other functions it might have at this point, but it’s a nice hardware improvement. Other functions could be added later through firmware updates.

The FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS is also compatible with Sony’s teleconverters, so it can function as either a 420 f/4 or a 600 f/5.6 with the 1.4x and 2.0x respectively.

The a1 and a7S III firmware update

The focus breathing correction feature, initially introduced with the a7 IV, will also be added to both cameras. It will allow automatic breathing correction for select FE lenses. The firmware update will also include C2PA format support to enable proof of authenticity. Final details about the countries and regions for this specific function are not yet finalized.

Price and availability

The Sony a9 III will hit the market in the spring of 2024 with a price tag of $5999. The FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS will also be available in the spring of 2024 with a price tag of $5999. For more information, take a look at the Sony website.