Sony Alpha9 ILCE-9 vs. Sony Alpha7s III ILCE-7SM3

Camera Comparison, Reviews and Tests

In depth comparison and review of Sony Alpha9 ILCE-9 and Sony Alpha7s III ILCE-7SM3. 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

Sony Alpha9 ILCE-9 vs. Sony Alpha7s III ILCE-7SM3 Comparison Chart
DESIGN AND DIMENSIONS Sony Alpha9 ILCE-9 Sony Alpha7s III ILCE-7SM3
Product Type Digital camera - 4K - mirrorless system Digital camera - 4K - mirrorless system
Lens Included Body only Body only
Height 9.56 cm 9.69 cm
Width 12.69 cm 12.89 cm
Depth 6.3 cm 8.08 cm
Weight 673 g 699 g
Weight Details Camera with battery and memory card: 673 g Camera with battery and memory card: 699 g
Body Material Magnesium alloy Magnesium alloy
Enclosure Colour Black -
Protection Dust-resistant, moisture-resistant Dust-resistant, moisture-resistant
Digital Zoom 4x 4x
SENSOR Sony Alpha9 ILCE-9 Sony Alpha7s III ILCE-7SM3
Sensor Resolution 24.2 Megapixel 12.1 Megapixel
Optical Sensor Type Exmor RS CMOS Exmor R CMOS
Total Pixels 28,300,000 pixels 12,900,000 pixels
Effective Sensor Resolution 24,200,000 pixels 12,100,000 pixels
Optical Sensor Size Full Frame (35.6 x 23.8 mm) Full Frame (35.6 x 23.8 mm)
Frame Rate (Max Resolution) 30 fps 120 fps
Sensor Dust Reduction Yes Yes
Sensor Features Dust Reduction (image sensor vibration), Anti-Dust coating, APS-C compatible mode Dust Reduction (image sensor vibration), Anti-Dust coating
Image Stabiliser Optical (5-axis image sensor shift mechanism) Optical (5-axis Steady Shot)
Built-in Optical Image Stabiliser Yes Yes
Sensors Digital level metre Digital level metre
PROCESSOR Sony Alpha9 ILCE-9 Sony Alpha7s III ILCE-7SM3
Image Processor BIONZ X BIONZ XR
LENS Sony Alpha9 ILCE-9 Sony Alpha7s III ILCE-7SM3
Lens Mounting Type Sony E-mount Sony E-mount
FOCUSING Sony Alpha9 ILCE-9 Sony Alpha7s III ILCE-7SM3
Auto Focus TTL contrast and phase detection TTL contrast and phase detection
Auto Focus Points (Zones) Qty 693 759
Auto Focus Features Focus Peaking function Focus Peaking function, Predictive Focus Control
AE/AF Control Touch Area AF, Eye detection AF, Predictive AI Servo AF, Zone AF Flex Focus Point, Face-priority AF, Subject-tracking AF, Eye detection AF
Face Detection Yes Face Recognition, face-priority AF function
VIEWFINDER Sony Alpha9 ILCE-9 Sony Alpha7s III ILCE-7SM3
Viewfinder Type Electronic - OLED Built-in - electronic
Viewfinder Colour Support Colour Colour
Viewfinder Diagonal Size 0.5" 0.64"
Viewfinder Resolution 3,686,400 pixels 9,437,184 pixels
Optical Viewfinder Field Coverage 100% 100%
Optical Viewfinder Magnification 0.78x 0.9x
Optical Viewfinder Dioptric Correction Range -4 to +3 -4 to +3
Field of View Crop Factor 1.0 -
Features Viewfinder brightness control, colour temperature control -
EXPOSURE & WHITE BALANCE Sony Alpha9 ILCE-9 Sony Alpha7s III ILCE-7SM3
ISO (Max) 204800 409600
Native ISO 100-51200 -
Extended ISO (Max) 204800 409600
Extended ISO (Min) 50 40
Light Sensitivity ISO 50, ISO auto, ISO 102400, ISO 204800, ISO 100-51200 ISO 204800, ISO 409600, ISO 80-102400, ISO 40
Exposure Metering Multi-segment, centre-weighted, spot, average, highlight-weighted Multi-segment, centre-weighted, spot
Exposure Metering Zones 1200 1200
Exposure Modes Bulb, automatic, manual, aperture-priority, shutter-priority Bulb, automatic, manual, aperture-priority, shutter-priority
Bracketing Modes Dynamic Range Bracketing, white balance bracketing Dynamic Range Bracketing
Special Effects 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 Incandescent, cloudy, Flash, daylight, shade, fluorescent light (cool white), fluorescent light (daylight), fluorescent light (warm white), Underwater, 2500K - 9900K, fluorescent light (daylight white) Incandescent, fluorescent, cloudy, Flash, daylight, shade, Underwater, 2500K - 9900K
Shutter Type Mechanical Mechanical electronically-controlled
Max Shutter Speed 1/32000 sec 1/8000 sec
Min Shutter Speed 30 sec 30 sec
Exposure Compensation ±5 EV range, in 1/2 or 1/3 EV steps ±5 EV range, in 1/2 or 1/3 EV steps
Auto Exposure Bracketing 3, 5, 9 steps in 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, 1, 2 or 3 EV steps 3, 5 or 9 steps
White Balance Bracketing Yes -
X-sync Speed 1/250sec 1/250sec
Exposure Range EV -3-20 (ISO 100) EV -3-20 (ISO 100)
DISPLAY Sony Alpha9 ILCE-9 Sony Alpha7s III ILCE-7SM3
Type 3" LCD display 3" LCD display
Touch Screen Yes Yes
Display Format 1,440,000 pixels 1,440,000 pixels
Display Form Factor Folding Folding
Display Features Display brightness control Display brightness control
FLASH Sony Alpha9 ILCE-9 Sony Alpha7s III ILCE-7SM3
Features AF illuminator -
VIDEOGRAPHY / CAMCORDER Sony Alpha9 ILCE-9 Sony Alpha7s III ILCE-7SM3
Digital Video Format AVCHD, H.264, XAVC S H.264, XAVC S, H.265, XAVC HS
Image Recording Format JPEG, RAW, RAW + JPEG JPEG, RAW, RAW + JPEG
Max Video Resolution 3840 x 2160 3840 x 2160
Audio Signal Format Dolby Digital AC-3 (2 channel), Linear PCM, AAC AAC
Microphone Operation Mode Stereo Stereo
MEMORY Sony Alpha9 ILCE-9 Sony Alpha7s III ILCE-7SM3
Memory Card Slot SD card, Memory Stick PRO Duo card / SD card Dual SD card, dual CFexpress
Supported Memory Cards 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 SD Memory Card, SDXC Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card, SDHC UHS-I Memory Card, SDXC UHS-I Memory Card, SDHC UHS-II Memory Card, SDXC UHS-II Memory Card, CFexpress
Memory Card Included No No
Image Storage 6000 x 4000
3936 x 2624
3008 x 2000
1968 x 1312
6000 x 3376
3936 x 2216
3008 x 1688
1968 x 1112
JPEG 4240 x 2832
JPEG 2768 x 1848
JPEG 2128 x 1416
JPEG 1376 x 920
JPEG 3776 x 2832
JPEG 2464 x 1848
JPEG 1888 x 1416
JPEG 1232 x 920
JPEG 4240 x 2348
JPEG 2768 x 1550
JPEG 2128 x 1200
JPEG 1376 x 776
JPEG 2832 x 2832
JPEG 1840 x 1840
JPEG 1408 x 1408
JPEG 912 x 912
Video Capture 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
XAVC HS - 3840 x 2160 p - 120 fps
XAVC HS - 3840 x 2160 p - 60 fps
XAVC HS - 3840 x 2160 p - 100 fps - 200Mbps
XAVC HS - 3840 x 2160 p - 50 fps
XAVC HS - 3840 x 2160 p - 24 fps
XAVC S - 3840 x 2160 p - 120 fps
XAVC S - 3840 x 2160 p - 60 fps
XAVC S - 3840 x 2160 p - 30 fps
XAVC S - 3840 x 2160 p - 24 fps
XAVC S - 3840 x 2160 p - 100 fps
XAVC S - 3840 x 2160 p - 50 fps
XAVC S - 3840 x 2160 p - 25 fps
XAVC S HD - 1920 x 1080 p - 120 fps
XAVC S HD - 1920 x 1080 p - 60 fps
XAVC S HD - 1920 x 1080 p - 30 fps
XAVC S HD - 1920 x 1080 p - 24 fps
XAVC S HD - 1920 x 1080 p - 100 fps
XAVC S HD - 1920 x 1080 p - 50 fps
XAVC S HD - 1920 x 1080 p - 25 fps
BATTERY AND CHARGING Sony Alpha9 ILCE-9 Sony Alpha7s III ILCE-7SM3
Battery Type Sony NP-FZ100 Lithium Ion Sony NP-FZ100 Lithium Ion
Details Sony NP-FZ100 Li-ion rechargeable battery - 2280 mAh (included) Sony NP-FZ100 Li-ion rechargeable battery - 2280 mAh (included)
Battery Life Photo shooting - 650 shots (LCD Monitor on)
Photo shooting - 480 shots (LCD Monitor off)
Photo shooting - 510 shots (EVF on)
Photo shooting - 600 shots (LCD Monitor on)
Video recording - 80 minutes (EVF on)
Video recording - 135 minutes (LCD Monitor on)
CONNECTIONS Sony Alpha9 ILCE-9 Sony Alpha7s III ILCE-7SM3
Interface HDMI, USB 2.0, IEEE 802.11b/g/n, NFC (Near Field Communication), Bluetooth 4.1 HDMI, USB-C, Wireless LAN, NFC (Near Field Communication), Bluetooth 5.0
Connectivity Features - Remote control via mobile devices, Wireless Image Transfer, PC Remote functions via Wi-Fi
Print Standard DPOF support, Exif Print support, PRINT Image Matching Exif Print support, PRINT Image Matching
Flash Terminal Hot shoe, PC terminal Hot shoe
Connector Type 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)
USB (USB Type-C)
HDMI output (19 pin HDMI Type A)
Microphone (mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm)
Headphones (mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm)
FEATURES Sony Alpha9 ILCE-9 Sony Alpha7s III ILCE-7SM3
Self-Timer Delay 10 sec, 2sec, 5 sec 10 sec, 2sec, 5 sec
Continuous Shooting Speed 20 frames per second 8 frames per second, 3 frames per second, 10 frames per second, 6 frames per second
Additional Features 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 Built-in speaker, digital image rotation, camera orientation detection, histogram display, shadow point display, interval shooting mode, highlight point display, Dynamic Range Optimizer, USB charging, built-in help guide, Chromatic Aberration Compensation (CAC), HDR image enhancement technology, Intelligent AUTO (iAUTO), fast motion recording, Lens Distortion Compensation (LDC), noise reduction over long exposures, high ISO speed noise reduction, silent shooting, BRAVIA Sync function, PhotoTV HD, GPS via mobile, slow motion recording, peripheral shading correction, anti-flicker, Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG) recording
OTHERS Sony Alpha9 ILCE-9 Sony Alpha7s III ILCE-7SM3
Included Accessories Eyepiece cover, body cap, shoulder strap, AC power adaptor, USB cable, shoe cap -
Max Operating Temperature 40 °C 40 °C
Min Operating Temperature 0 °C 0 °C
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