Sony α1 II (ILCE-1M2) / Sony α9 III (ILCE-9M3)

Sony α1 II (ILCE-1M2): ILCE-1M2 body only, black. The original α1 (ILCE-1), α9 III and α7R V are separate models with different sensors and features.

Sony α9 III (ILCE-9M3): α9 III ILCE-9M3 body; the VG-C5 vertical grip is sold separately. The α9 (ILCE-9) and α9 II (ILCE-9M2) are earlier models with different sensors.

SpecificationSony α1 II (ILCE-1M2)Sony α9 III (ILCE-9M3)
Release year20242023
Sensor35 mm full-frame (35.9 × 24.0 mm) Exmor RS stacked CMOS; approx. 50.1 MP effective

The stacked design allows very fast sensor readout, reducing rolling-shutter distortion with the electronic shutter and enabling blackout-free shooting.

Sony		35.6 × 23.8 mm full-frame stacked Exmor RS CMOS with global shutter; about 24.6MP effective for stills, 20.3MP for video

A global shutter reads every row at once, so the skew seen on row-by-row sensors with spinning propellers, golf clubs or fast pans does not occur.

Sony
ProcessorBIONZ XR and a dedicated AI processing unit Sony—
Continuous shooting30 fps with electronic shutter; 10 fps with mechanical shutter; pre-capture

Pre-capture also records frames from just before the shutter is fully pressed, helping catch unpredictable moments such as birds or sport.

Sony		—
Autofocus759-point phase-detection hybrid AF covering about 92% of the sensor; human, animal, bird, insect, car, train and airplane recognition SonyFast Hybrid AF; 759 phase-detection points for stills, 627 for video Sony
In-body stabilisation5-axis; 8.5 stops at centre, 7.0 at periphery (CIPA 2024, with FE 50 mm F1.2 GM)

The stop figure applies to the stated lens and test condition; the effect differs with other lenses.

Sony		5-axis sensor shift; 8.0 stops (CIPA)

The figure is measured with the FE 50mm F1.2 GM on pitch/yaw only.

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Viewfinder and screen0.64-inch Quad-XGA OLED EVF, 9,437,184 dots, 0.90×, 60/120/240 fps; 3.2-inch 2,095,104-dot touch screen with four-axis articulation

The screen tilts 98° up and 40° down, swings 180° sideways and rotates 270°, suiting both high/low-angle stills and video.

Sony		0.64-type OLED viewfinder, 9,437,184 dots, 0.90x; 3.2-type 2,095,104-dot touchscreen (multi-angle)

The viewfinder refreshes at 60/120/240 fps. The screen tilts up 98°, down 40°, swings 180° to the side and rotates 270°.

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Shutter speedsElectronic 1/32000–30 s; mechanical 1/8000–30 s; Bulb Sony—
ISOStills 100–32000 (expandable 50–102400); movies 100–32000 Sony—
Video8K (7680 × 4320) 30p/25p/24p XAVC HS; 4K up to 120p; Full HD 120p and 240 fps slow motion; 10-bit 4:2:2

XAVC HS uses H.265/HEVC and XAVC S H.264; 10-bit 4:2:2 leaves more room for colour grading.

Sony		Up to 4K 119.88p; XAVC S (8-bit 4:2:0 or 10-bit 4:2:2), XAVC HS (10-bit 4:2:2), XAVC S-I 4K 59.94p (600 Mbps)

XAVC HS is H.265-based, producing smaller files at the same quality but needing a stronger computer to edit. XAVC S-I records intra-frame only, easier to edit but with large files.

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Card slots2 slots; each accepts CFexpress Type A or SD (UHS-I/UHS-II)

CFexpress Type A offers much higher write speeds than SD for 8K and long bursts.

Sony		Two slots; each takes SD (UHS-I/II) or CFexpress Type A

CFexpress Type A cards are better suited to clearing the buffer quickly when shooting RAW at 120 fps.

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ConnectionsUSB-C (10 Gbit/s, USB 3.2); 2.5GBASE-T wired LAN; Wi-Fi 5 GHz/2.4 GHz (802.11ac); Bluetooth 5.0; full-size HDMI (Type-A)

Wired 2.5 GbE is aimed at sports and news photographers sending files quickly from the field.

Sony		—
BatteryNP-FZ100; approx. 420 shots with EVF, 520 with LCD (CIPA) SonyNP-FZ100; about 400 shots with the viewfinder and 530 with the screen (CIPA); charging and power over USB PD Sony
Size and weight136.1 × 96.9 × 82.9 mm; approx. 743 g with battery and card (body only 658 g) SonyAbout 136.1 × 96.9 × 82.9 mm; about 702 g with battery and card (body only 617 g) Sony
Processor and ISO—BIONZ XR; ISO 250–25600 for stills (expanded 125–51200)

A base ISO of 250 means the lowest-noise setting is higher than on cameras with an ISO 100 base.

Sony
Burst and shutter—About 120 fps (Hi+), blackout-free; electronic shutter only, 1/80,000–30 s

Sony says AF/AE tracking continues at 120 fps. Speed Boost switches to a preset higher rate with one button during shooting; Pre-Capture keeps up to 1 second recorded before the shutter is pressed.

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Flash sync—Up to 1/80,000 s (electronic); 1/500 s

Thanks to the global shutter, flash can be used even at the fastest shutter speed without switching to high-speed sync.

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Connectivity—USB-C 10 Gb/s (USB 3.2); plus Multi/Micro USB; 1000BASE-T wired LAN; Wi-Fi 802.11ac (2.4/5 GHz); Bluetooth 5.0; Type-A HDMI

Wired LAN is used to send photos quickly to agencies at sports and news events. Full-size HDMI gives a sturdier connection in the field than micro HDMI.

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