Sony revealed the new flagship – A9iii
Sony revealed the new flagship – A9iii
Sony Announces a9 III – First ever Global Shutter Mirrorless Camera and the Lightest Super Telephoto Lens
This camera boasts a 24.6-megapixel resolution, and according to Sony, it maintains high ISO performance and dynamic range. However, it’s worth noting that the base ISO is 250, indicating that its dynamic range may be on par with other cameras at that sensitivity level. The inclusion of a global shutter ensures distortion-free images, even during fast-paced movements. Additionally, the camera promises impressive 8EV in-body stabilization. 😮
It can shoot at 120 fps with no blackout and a maximum shutter speed of 1/80,000 sec. This is a brand new dimension in the mirrorless history. For the full technical detail you can check Sony’s website.
What is a global shutter?
A global shutter is a way of capturing an image where all the data is collected at the same time, unlike traditional shutters that move across the sensor. This method eliminates the rolling shutter effect seen in videos and slow shutters. One key advantage is its ability to sync with a flash at any shutter speed, up to 1/80,000 second. Global shutters also prevent banding under flickering lights, capturing the entire image at once and avoiding different parts of a light’s flicker cycle in different areas of the image.
For several years, CMOS sensors featuring a global shutter have been accessible, yet they faced limitations in providing a comparable dynamic range to traditional progressive-scan designs. The advent of Stacked CMOS technology has addressed this challenge by enabling the creation of separate layers for the photodiode and readout circuitry. This innovative approach offers more room for the readout circuitry without significantly encroaching on the sensor’s electron storage capacity, thus mitigating potential limitations on dynamic range.
Sony has not provided detailed information about the sensor, but it seems to adopt a two-layer design rather than the three-layer approach seen in certain smartphone sensors. This choice may contribute to the camera’s base ISO of 250, potentially limiting its maximum dynamic range, although Sony has not disclosed a specific dynamic range figure. Unlike the original a9, the a9 III introduces the capability to shoot in S-Log3, featuring a base ISO adjustment of 3 stops to ISO 2000 to enhance highlight capture.
The presence of a global shutter enables the a9 III to synchronize at speeds up to 1/80,000 second, eliminating the need for High-Speed Sync and allowing compatibility with third-party flashes. This design also mitigates the risk of banding caused by artificial lights. Furthermore, the camera incorporates an ‘Anti-Flicker’ mode, synchronizing the shutter with the brightest point in the light cycle to prevent inconsistent exposure.
It’s pledged to focus down to -5EV with an F1.8 aperture lens.
In video terms, it can shoot 4K/60p taken from 6K capture and 4K/120p without any crop. It has options such as 10-bit 4:2:2 capture, the S-Cinetone profile and ’16-bit’ Raw video output over HDMI.
The a9 III has a 2M-dot 3.2″ back screen with full articulation and a tilt-option as well. It’s the same design what the a7R V has and includes an LCD panel which covers the DCI P3 color gamut. It features a 9.44M dot OLED viewfinder with 0.9x magnification. It can run at full resolution at 120fps or with a reduced resolution at 240fps.
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