Sony α7C II (ILCE-7CM2) / Sony α9 III (ILCE-9M3)

Sony α7C II (ILCE-7CM2): ILCE-7CM2 body; black or silver. The 28–60 mm kit uses the same body. The α7C R (ILCE-7CR) and the original α7C are separate models.

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 α7C II (ILCE-7CM2)Sony α9 III (ILCE-9M3)
Release year20232023
Sensor35 mm full-frame Exmor R CMOS (35.9 × 23.9 mm); about 33.0 MP effective for stills, 27.6 MP for movies

Exmor R is a back-illuminated sensor; with the circuitry behind the light-sensitive layer it gathers more light in dim conditions.

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.

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AutofocusFast Hybrid AF; 759 phase-detection points for stills, 627 for movies; EV −4–20; human, animal, bird, insect, car, train and aeroplane recognition

Subject recognition finds the chosen type (for example a bird) in the frame and tracks its eye or body; choosing the right subject type in the menu strengthens tracking.

Sony		Fast Hybrid AF; 759 phase-detection points for stills, 627 for video Sony
Image stabilisationSensor-shift 5-axis stabilisation; 7.0 stops (CIPA)

Sony measures 7.0 stops with the FE 50 mm F1.2 GM lens on pitch and yaw only; the benefit can differ with other lenses and axes.

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ISO and shutterStills ISO 100–51200 (expandable 50–204800); mechanical shutter 1/4000–30 s, electronic to 1/8000 s; up to 10 fps continuous Sony—
Video4K up to 59.94p, 10-bit 4:2:2 with XAVC HS and XAVC S (up to 200 Mbps); up to 600 Mbps with XAVC S-I

DPReview says 4K 30p is downsampled from a full-width 7K readout, while 4K 60p is recorded in Super 35 (APS-C) mode with a 1.5× crop. 10-bit 4:2:2 reduces banding when grading colour.

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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Viewfinder and screen0.39-inch XGA OLED viewfinder, 2.36 million dots, about 0.70× magnification; 3.0-inch vari-angle touchscreen (1.04 million dots) Sony0.64-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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Card slotSingle SD slot, UHS-I/UHS-II compatible

With one slot there is no backup recording to two cards at once. High-bit-rate video needs a fast UHS-II card.

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ConnectionsUSB-C (5 Gbps, USB 3.2); micro HDMI (Type D); 3.5 mm mic and headphone; Multi Interface Shoe; Wi-Fi 2.4/5 GHz; Bluetooth 4.2

Charging and powering the camera over USB-C with USB Power Delivery are supported.

Sony		—
BatteryNP-FZ100; about 530 shots with the viewfinder, about 560 with the screen (CIPA); about 165 minutes continuous video SonyNP-FZ100; about 400 shots with the viewfinder and 530 with the screen (CIPA); charging and power over USB PD Sony
Size and weightAbout 124.0 × 71.1 × 63.4 mm; about 514 g with battery and card, 429 g body only SonyAbout 136.1 × 96.9 × 82.9 mm; about 702 g with battery and card (body only 617 g) Sony
Operating temperature0–40 °C 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.

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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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In-body stabilisation—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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Card slots—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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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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