[UPDATE] Sony has officially launched the A9 III, and it is coming to Malaysia in Q1 2024. You can read all about it in the announcement post.
A new image has appeared on Sony’s official Alpha Universe website. On it, there is a header image of the Alpha logo, as well as a caption saying, “Please join us for a special event.” The event will be happening on 7 November at 10 p.m. Malaysian time. It is expected that the launch will be for the new Sony A9 III.
Some reports online said that the event is the platform where Sony will be launching the successor to the Sony A9 II, the A9 III. According to the same reports, the new A9 III is expected to be the fastest mirrorless camera in the world when it launches.
Expected new features on the A9 III
One of the key features in the expected A9 III is the use of ‘stacked’ sensor technology that promises rapid sensor read-out and high-speed captures. We should see some technologies from Sony’s Flagship, the A1, trickle down to the A9 III. What we are especially looking for is the burst shooting mode. The A1 can go as high as 30fps and has a buffer of up to 400 frames (when set to JPEG Low).
Interestingly, the recently launched Oppo Find N3 also has a stacked sensor technology, which itself uses a Sony sensor.
Speaking of the sensor, we are expected to see a bump in sensor resolution – from 24.2MP in the A9 II to 44MP in the A9 III, according to Sony Alpha Rumors. There is no news if Sony will be using a new Bionz image processing chip, but the A1, with its 50MP sensor, is still on the Bionz XR chip so we may see the A9 III adopt the image processor.
Video is also set to see upgrades as the rumour mill suggests that we can see an 8K60p video mode, along with 4K120p. That almost matches the capabilities of the A1, which is a camera in the RM 28,000 price bracket.
Wishlist features for the A9 III
While we are expected to see the upgrade in the sensor, there are still some other features that do not have any leaks or hints for upgrades online.
For instance, the current A9 II has a 3.69m-dot display electronic viewfinder (EVF); we hope that Sony would at least bump up the resolution to match the EVF in the A7IV, which is a 9.44m-dot display. Better resolution will greatly improve the photography experience.
The inclusion of a CF-Express card is also something that professionals are hoping for with the new camera. While the current model has dual memory slots, they are UHS-II MicroSD slots.
Lastly, this last wish may differ between photographers, but there are also calls for the A9 to include a vertical grip into the body, something like the Nikon Z9. While there is an optional vertical grip already available for the A9 II, by having the grip incorporated, there is a larger surface area for a cooling solution to cool down the camera body.
We shall wait and see what Sony has in store for us at the launch tomorrow.
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