Canon EOS M3 vs. Sony Alpha9 ILCE-9

Camera Comparison, Reviews and Tests

In depth comparison and review of Canon EOS M3 and Sony Alpha9 ILCE-9. Compare design, sensors, proximity features, memory capacities and other important specifications and features to easily choose the right camera for you. Our goal is to help you uncover differences between the products and find the digital camera that will best fit your needs.

Camera Specifications Comparison

Canon EOS M3 vs. Sony Alpha9 ILCE-9 Comparison Chart
DESIGN AND DIMENSIONS Canon EOS M3 Sony Alpha9 ILCE-9
Product Type Digital camera - 1080p - mirrorless system Digital camera - 4K - mirrorless system
Lens Included Body only Body only
Height 6.8 cm 9.56 cm
Width 11.09 cm 12.69 cm
Depth 4.44 cm 6.3 cm
Weight 366 g 673 g
Weight Details - Camera with battery and memory card: 673 g
Body Material Stainless steel, magnesium alloy, polycarbonate resin Magnesium alloy
Enclosure Colour Black Black
Protection - Dust-resistant, moisture-resistant
Digital Zoom - 4x
SENSOR Canon EOS M3 Sony Alpha9 ILCE-9
Sensor Resolution 24.2 Megapixel 24.2 Megapixel
Optical Sensor Type CMOS Exmor RS CMOS
Total Pixels 24,700,000 pixels 28,300,000 pixels
Effective Sensor Resolution 24,200,000 pixels 24,200,000 pixels
Optical Sensor Size APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) Full Frame (35.6 x 23.8 mm)
Frame Rate (Max Resolution) 30 fps 30 fps
Sensor Dust Reduction Yes Yes
Sensor Features EOS Integrated Cleaning System, Self Cleaning Sensor Unit Dust Reduction (image sensor vibration), Anti-Dust coating, APS-C compatible mode
Image Stabiliser - Optical (5-axis image sensor shift mechanism)
Built-in Optical Image Stabiliser - Yes
Sensors - Digital level metre
PROCESSOR Canon EOS M3 Sony Alpha9 ILCE-9
Image Processor DIGIC 6 BIONZ X
LENS Canon EOS M3 Sony Alpha9 ILCE-9
Lens Mounting Type Canon EF-M Sony E-mount
FOCUSING Canon EOS M3 Sony Alpha9 ILCE-9
Auto Focus TTL contrast and phase detection TTL contrast and phase detection
Auto Focus Points (Zones) Qty 49 693
Auto Focus Features - Focus Peaking function
AE/AF Control Face-priority AF, Subject-tracking AF Touch Area AF, Eye detection AF, Predictive AI Servo AF, Zone AF
Face Detection Face-priority AF function Yes
VIEWFINDER Canon EOS M3 Sony Alpha9 ILCE-9
Viewfinder Type Built-in - electronic Electronic - OLED
Viewfinder Colour Support Colour Colour
Viewfinder Diagonal Size 0.48" 0.5"
Viewfinder Resolution 2,360,000 pixels 3,686,400 pixels
Optical Viewfinder Field Coverage 100% 100%
Optical Viewfinder Magnification - 0.78x
Optical Viewfinder Dioptric Correction Range -3 to +1 -4 to +3
Field of View Crop Factor 1.6 1.0
Interchangeable Yes -
Features Tilting Viewfinder brightness control, colour temperature control
EXPOSURE & WHITE BALANCE Canon EOS M3 Sony Alpha9 ILCE-9
ISO (Max) 25600 204800
Native ISO 100-12800 100-51200
Extended ISO (Max) 25600 204800
Extended ISO (Min) - 50
Light Sensitivity ISO auto (100-12800), ISO 25600, ISO 100-12800 ISO 50, ISO auto, ISO 102400, ISO 204800, ISO 100-51200
Exposure Metering Evaluative, partial (10%), centre-weighted, spot (2%) Multi-segment, centre-weighted, spot, average, highlight-weighted
Exposure Metering Zones 384 1200
Exposure Modes Programme, bulb, automatic, manual, aperture-priority, shutter-priority, E-TTL II program flash Bulb, automatic, manual, aperture-priority, shutter-priority
Bracketing Modes Flash Exposure Bracketing Dynamic Range Bracketing, white balance bracketing
Shooting Programs Landscape, portrait mode, close-up, food, sports mode, handheld night shot -
Special Effects Black & White, Sepia, fisheye, soft focus, monochrome, miniature, HDR, Toy camera, Art Bold, Grainy B&W, Water painting Black & White, Sepia, Neutral, Vivid, sunset, landscape, portrait, clear, deep, light, autumn leaves, Retro, partial colour, Toy camera, Posterisation, High contrast monochrome, Pop Colour, Soft High-key, Night Scene, Standard, Style Box
White Balance Custom, automatic, presets Custom, automatic, presets
White Balance Presets Cloudy, tungsten light, Flash, daylight, shade, fluorescent light (white) Incandescent, cloudy, Flash, daylight, shade, fluorescent light (cool white), fluorescent light (daylight), fluorescent light (warm white), Underwater, 2500K - 9900K, fluorescent light (daylight white)
Shutter Type Mechanical electronically-controlled Mechanical
Max Shutter Speed 1/4000 sec 1/32000 sec
Min Shutter Speed 30 sec 30 sec
Exposure Compensation ±3 EV range, in 1/3 EV steps ±5 EV range, in 1/2 or 1/3 EV steps
Auto Exposure Bracketing 3 steps in 1/3 EV step 3, 5, 9 steps in 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, 1, 2 or 3 EV steps
White Balance Bracketing Yes Yes
X-sync Speed 1/200sec 1/250sec
Exposure Range EV 1-20 (ISO 100) EV -3-20 (ISO 100)
DISPLAY Canon EOS M3 Sony Alpha9 ILCE-9
Type 3" LCD display 3" LCD display
Touch Screen Yes Yes
Display Format 1,040,000 pixels 1,440,000 pixels
Display Form Factor Built-in Folding
Display Features Display brightness control Display brightness control
FLASH Canon EOS M3 Sony Alpha9 ILCE-9
Camera Flash Flip-up -
Guide Number (m / ISO 100) 5 -
Flash Modes Fill-in mode, slow synchro, auto mode, flash OFF mode, red-eye reduction -
Red-Eye Reduction Yes -
Features Flash +/- compensation, flash exposure bracketing AF illuminator
VIDEOGRAPHY / CAMCORDER Canon EOS M3 Sony Alpha9 ILCE-9
Digital Video Format H.264 AVCHD, H.264, XAVC S
Image Recording Format JPEG, RAW, RAW + JPEG JPEG, RAW, RAW + JPEG
Max Video Resolution 1920 x 1080 3840 x 2160
Audio Signal Format - Dolby Digital AC-3 (2 channel), Linear PCM, AAC
Microphone Operation Mode Stereo Stereo
MEMORY Canon EOS M3 Sony Alpha9 ILCE-9
Memory Card Slot SD card SD card, Memory Stick PRO Duo card / SD card
Supported Memory Cards SD Memory Card, SDXC Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card, SDHC UHS-I Memory Card, SDXC UHS-I Memory Card SD Memory Card, Memory Stick PRO Duo, SDXC Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card, Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo, SDHC UHS-I Memory Card, SDXC UHS-I Memory Card, SDHC UHS-II Memory Card, SDXC UHS-II Memory Card
Memory Card Included No No
Image Storage RAW 6000 x 4000
RAW 5328 x 4000
RAW 6000 x 3376
RAW 4000 x 4000
JPEG 6000 x 4000
JPEG 5328 x 4000
JPEG 6000 x 3376
JPEG 4320 x 2880
JPEG 4320 x 2432
JPEG 3840 x 2880
JPEG 2880 x 1920
JPEG 2880 x 1616
JPEG 2560 x 1920
JPEG 2304 x 1536
JPEG 2048 x 1536
JPEG 1920 x 1080
JPEG 720 x 480
JPEG 720 x 408
JPEG 640 x 480
JPEG 4000 x 4000
JPEG 2880 x 2880
JPEG 1920 x 1920
JPEG 1536 x 1536
JPEG 480 x 480
6000 x 4000
3936 x 2624
3008 x 2000
1968 x 1312
6000 x 3376
3936 x 2216
3008 x 1688
1968 x 1112
Video Capture H.264 - 1920 x 1080 - 30 fps
MOV - 1920 x 1080 - 25 fps
H.264 - 1920 x 1080 - 24 fps
H.264 - 1280 x 720 - 60 fps
H.264 - 1280 x 720 - 50 fps
H.264 - 640 x 480 - 30 fps
H.264 - 640 x 480 - 25 fps
XAVC S - 3840 x 2160 p - 30 fps - 100Mbps
XAVC S - 3840 x 2160 p - 24 fps - 100Mbps
XAVC S - 3840 x 2160 p - 30 fps - 60Mbps
XAVC S - 3840 x 2160 p - 24 fps - 60Mbps
XAVC S - 1920 x 1080 p - 120 fps - 100Mbps
XAVC S - 1920 x 1080 p - 120 fps - 60Mbps
XAVC S - 1920 x 1080 p - 60 fps - 50Mbps
XAVC S - 1920 x 1080 p - 30 fps - 50Mbps
XAVC S - 1920 x 1080 p - 24 fps - 50Mbps
AVCHD - 1920 x 1080 p - 60 fps - 28Mbps
AVCHD - 1920 x 1080 i - 60 fps - 24Mbps
AVCHD - 1920 x 1080 i - 60 fps - 17Mbps
AVCHD - 1920 x 1080 p - 24 fps - 24Mbps
AVCHD - 1920 x 1080 p - 24 fps - 17Mbps
H.264 - 1920 x 1080 p - 60 fps - 28Mbps
H.264 - 1920 x 1080 p - 30 fps - 16Mbps
H.264 - 1280 x 720 p - 30 fps - 6Mbps
XAVC S - 3840 x 2160 p - 25 fps - 100Mbps
XAVC S - 3840 x 2160 p - 25 fps - 60Mbps
XAVC S - 1920 x 1080 p - 100 fps - 100Mbps
XAVC S - 1920 x 1080 p - 100 fps - 60Mbps
XAVC S - 1920 x 1080 p - 50 fps - 50Mbps
XAVC S - 1920 x 1080 p - 25 fps - 50Mbps
AVCHD - 1920 x 1080 p - 50 fps - 28Mbps
AVCHD - 1920 x 1080 i - 50 fps - 24Mbps
AVCHD - 1920 x 1080 i - 50 fps - 17Mbps
AVCHD - 1920 x 1080 p - 25 fps - 24Mbps
AVCHD - 1920 x 1080 p - 25 fps - 17Mbps
H.264 - 1920 x 1080 p - 50 fps - 28Mbps
H.264 - 1920 x 1080 p - 25 fps - 16Mbps
H.264 - 1280 x 720 p - 25 fps - 6Mbps
BATTERY AND CHARGING Canon EOS M3 Sony Alpha9 ILCE-9
Battery Type Canon LP-E17 Lithium Ion Sony NP-FZ100 Lithium Ion
Details Canon LP-E17 Li-ion rechargeable battery (included) Sony NP-FZ100 Li-ion rechargeable battery - 2280 mAh (included)
Battery Life Photo shooting - 250 shots (at 23 °C)
Photo shooting - 185 shots (at 0 °C)
Photo shooting - 650 shots (LCD Monitor on)
Photo shooting - 480 shots (LCD Monitor off)
CONNECTIONS Canon EOS M3 Sony Alpha9 ILCE-9
Interface HDMI, USB 2.0, IEEE 802.11b/g/n, NFC (Near Field Communication) HDMI, USB 2.0, IEEE 802.11b/g/n, NFC (Near Field Communication), Bluetooth 4.1
Connectivity Features Remote control via mobile devices, remote live view -
Print Standard Direct print, DPOF support, Exif Print support, PictBridge support DPOF support, Exif Print support, PRINT Image Matching
Flash Terminal Hot shoe Hot shoe, PC terminal
Connector Type Microphone (mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm)
USB 2.0 (mini-USB Type B)
HDMI (19 pin mini HDMI Type C)
USB 2.0
HDMI output (19 pin micro HDMI Type D)
Microphone (mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm)
Headphones (mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm)
Network (RJ-45)
FEATURES Canon EOS M3 Sony Alpha9 ILCE-9
Self-Timer Delay 10 sec, 2sec 10 sec, 2sec, 5 sec
Continuous Shooting Speed 4.2 frames per second 20 frames per second
Additional Features Built-in speaker, auto power save, depth-of-field preview button, sharpness control, digital image rotation, camera orientation detection, histogram display, AE lock, AF lock, FE lock, saturation control, highlight tone priority, contrast control, Auto Lighting Optimizer, peripheral illumination correction, Chromatic Aberration Compensation (CAC), Scene Intelligent Auto technology, noise reduction over long exposures, high ISO speed noise reduction, primary colour filter, Hybrid Auto Built-in speaker, sharpness control, digital image rotation, histogram display, saturation control, takes photos while film recording, contrast control, Dynamic Range Optimizer, built-in help guide, Dolby Digital Stereo Creator, Chromatic Aberration Compensation (CAC), Clear Image Zoom, noise reduction over long exposures, Lens Distortion Correction, high ISO speed noise reduction, silent shooting, BRAVIA Sync function, PhotoTV HD, simultaneous multi-format recording, peripheral shading correction
OTHERS Canon EOS M3 Sony Alpha9 ILCE-9
Included Accessories Carrying strap, battery charger, body cap, USB cable Eyepiece cover, body cap, shoulder strap, AC power adaptor, USB cable, shoe cap
Software Canon Digital Photo Professional, Canon Picture Style Editor, Canon EOS Utility, Canon Image Transfer Utility -
Max Operating Temperature 40 °C 40 °C
Min Operating Temperature 0 °C 0 °C
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