Sony α9 III (ILCE-9M3) / Sony α7R V (ILCE-7RM5)

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.

Sony α7R V (ILCE-7RM5): ILCE-7RM5 body, black. Kit options vary by market; the α7R IV and α7R VI are separate models.

SpecificationSony α9 III (ILCE-9M3)Sony α7R V (ILCE-7RM5)
Release year20232022
Sensor35.6 × 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		35 mm full-frame back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS; approx. 61.0 MP effective (62.5 MP total)

61 MP allows heavy cropping and large prints; in return files are big and call for fast cards and a capable computer.

Sony
Processor and ISOBIONZ 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		—
AutofocusFast Hybrid AF; 759 phase-detection points for stills, 627 for video Sony693 phase-detection points in full frame; 567 phase + 25 contrast points in APS-C mode Sony
Burst and shutterAbout 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.

Sony		—
Flash syncUp 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.

Sony		—
In-body stabilisation5-axis sensor shift; 8.0 stops (CIPA)

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

Sony		—
Viewfinder and screen0.64-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°.

Sony		—
VideoUp 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.

Sony		8K 24p (25p) and 4K 60p (50p); XAVC S (H.264) and XAVC HS (H.265)

H.265 (XAVC HS) gives smaller files at the same quality but needs a more powerful computer to edit.

Sony
Card slotsTwo 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.

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

CFexpress Type A clears the buffer faster in 8K and long bursts; SD cards also work.

Sony
BatteryNP-FZ100; about 400 shots with the viewfinder and 530 with the screen (CIPA); charging and power over USB PD SonyNP-FZ100; approx. 440 shots with viewfinder, approx. 530 with monitor (CIPA) Sony
ConnectivityUSB-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.

Sony		USB-C (10 Gbit/s, USB 3.2), power and charging via USB Power Delivery; Wi-Fi 802.11ac (2.4/5 GHz); Bluetooth 5.0

USB PD lets the camera run from a power bank or adapter while shooting; 10 Gbit/s suits file transfer and streaming.

Sony
Size and weightAbout 136.1 × 96.9 × 82.9 mm; about 702 g with battery and card (body only 617 g) Sony131.3 × 96.9 × 82.4 mm; approx. 723 g with battery and card Sony
Processor and AI—BIONZ XR image processor and dedicated AI processing unit

The AI unit uses human body and pose data for subject recognition; Sony says vehicles and insects are now recognised as well as people.

Sony
ISO—Stills ISO 100–32000 (expanded 50–102400); movies ISO 100–32000 equivalent Sony
Image stabilisation—5-axis sensor-shift stabilisation; 8.0 stops per CIPA (with FE 50 mm F1.2 GM, pitch/yaw only)

The 8-stop figure applies to a specific lens and test condition; the effect varies with other lenses. Active mode in video adds stabilisation but crops the image.

Sony
Shutter and burst—1/8000–30 s and Bulb; mechanical and electronic shutter; 10 fps in Hi+ mode

Exposures longer than 30 seconds need Bulb mode or an external intervalometer.

Sony
Viewfinder—0.64-inch Quad-XGA OLED, 9,437,184 dots, 100% coverage, approx. 0.90× magnification; 60 or 120 fps

The 120 fps setting shows moving subjects more smoothly in the finder at the cost of more battery drain.

Sony
Monitor—3.2-inch TFT, 2,095,104 dots; fully articulating (up 98°, down 40°, side 180°, rotation 270°)

The screen both flips out to the side and tilts on the horizontal axis; this four-way design helps with vertical shots and gimbal work.

Sony
Pixel Shift—Pixel Shift Multi Shooting: 4 or 16 shots

The sensor is shifted by a pixel between frames; frames combined on a computer give higher colour resolution or a bigger image. It needs static subjects and a tripod.

Sony
Operating temperature—0–40 °C Sony