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Sony A9 vs Sony RX10 III

Portability
65
Imaging
73
Features
93
Overall
81
Sony Alpha A9 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 III front
Portability
53
Imaging
52
Features
77
Overall
62

Sony A9 vs Sony RX10 III Key Specs

Sony A9
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Raise to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 673g - 127 x 96 x 63mm
  • Revealed April 2017
  • Newer Model is Sony A9 II
Sony RX10 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Increase to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 24-600mm (F2.4-4.0) lens
  • 1051g - 133 x 94 x 127mm
  • Released March 2016
  • Succeeded the Sony RX10 II
  • New Model is Sony RX10 IV
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Sony A9 vs Sony RX10 III Overview

Lets look a bit more closely at the Sony A9 and Sony RX10 III, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Large Sensor Superzoom and both of them are built by Sony. The image resolution of the A9 (24MP) and the RX10 III (20MP) is pretty similar but the A9 (Full frame) and RX10 III (1") provide different sensor dimensions.

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The A9 was unveiled 13 months later than the RX10 III which makes them a generation apart from each other. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Sony A9 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX10 III being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before going straight to a thorough comparison, here is a short view of how the A9 scores versus the RX10 III with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Sony A9 over the Sony RX10 III

 A9 RX10 III 
ReleasedApril 2017March 2016Fresher by 13 months
Screen resolution1440k1229kClearer screen (+211k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony RX10 III over the Sony A9

 RX10 III A9 

Common features in the Sony A9 and Sony RX10 III

 A9 RX10 III 
Manually focus More accurate focus
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen sizing
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen

Sony A9 vs Sony RX10 III Physical Comparison

For anyone who is planning to carry your camera regularly, you have to factor its weight and volume. The Sony A9 enjoys physical dimensions of 127mm x 96mm x 63mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.5") with a weight of 673 grams (1.48 lbs) and the Sony RX10 III has sizing of 133mm x 94mm x 127mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 5.0") with a weight of 1051 grams (2.32 lbs).

See the Sony A9 and Sony RX10 III in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have during that time. Below is a front view size comparison of the A9 and the RX10 III.

Sony A9 vs Sony RX10 III size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the A9 and RX10 III is 65 and 53 respectively.

Sony A9 vs Sony RX10 III top view buttons comparison

Sony A9 vs Sony RX10 III Sensor Comparison

Usually, it is very difficult to picture the difference between sensor sizing merely by going over specs. The visual below may offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the A9 and RX10 III.

All in all, the two cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The A9 with its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF easier and the Sony A9 will offer greater detail having an extra 4MP. Higher resolution will allow you to crop shots more aggressively. The newer A9 provides an edge in sensor technology.

Sony A9 vs Sony RX10 III sensor size comparison

Sony A9 vs Sony RX10 III Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A9 vs Sony RX10 III Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Sony A9
Portrait photography with Sony RX10 III
83
focusing manually
MP count decent (24 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
supports face detection focus
exports RAW formats
71
you can focus manually
MP count decent (20MP)
sensor size is decent (1")
provides face detection autofocus
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Sony A9 Street photography factors
Sony RX10 III Street photography factors
79
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
great sensor size (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
features touch focus
weather proof
above average ISO range (51,200)
64
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is decent (1")
delivers RAW files
environment sealing
more heavy than competition in class (1,051g)
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Sports Comparison

Sony A9 as a Sports photography camera
Sony RX10 III as a Sports photography camera
86
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
silent shutter (1/32,000 seconds)
high max frames per second (20.0 fps)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (24MP)
great sensor size (Full frame)
supports tracking autofocus
weather proof
great battery power (650 shots)
supports phase detect auto focus
70
amazing zoom range (24-600mm 25.0 x zoom)
silent shooting (1/32,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (1")
provides tracking autofocus
environment sealing
better than average battery life (420 per charge)
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Sony A9 as a Travel photography camera
Sony RX10 III as a Travel photography camera
73
great battery power (650 CIPA)
weather proof
has bluetooth
features touch focus
MP count decent (24 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
55
better than average battery life (420 per charge)
environment sealing
MP count decent (20 megapixels)
flash built-in
pretty wide (24mm)
very long zoom (600mm)
missing Timelapse function
more heavy than competition in class (1,051g)
does not have selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.4)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A9 Landscape photography advice
Sony RX10 III Landscape photography advice
85
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
decent sized screen (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (24MP)
great sensor size (Full frame)
above average ISO range (51,200)
exports RAW formats
weather proof
great battery power (650 CIPA)
two card slots
63
you can focus manually
pretty wide (24mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (1")
delivers RAW files
environment sealing
better than average battery life (420 CIPA)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.4)
missing Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A9 as a Vlogging camera
Sony RX10 III as a Vlogging camera
36
touchscreen functionality
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detection focus
high res video (3840 x 2160 pxls)
comes with external microphone socket
screen is not selfie friendly
28
pretty wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detection autofocus
high res video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
comes with external microphone port
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.4)
does not have selfie friendly screen
more heavy than competition in class (1,051g)
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Sony A9 vs Sony RX10 III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A9 and Sony RX10 III
 Sony Alpha A9Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 III
General Information
Manufacturer Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha A9 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 III
Class Pro Mirrorless Large Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2017-04-19 2016-03-29
Body design SLR-style mirrorless SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Chip BIONZ X Bionz X
Sensor type BSI-CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Full frame 1"
Sensor measurements 35.6 x 23.8mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor area 847.3mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 24MP 20MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 6000 x 4000 5472 x 3648
Highest native ISO 51200 12800
Highest enhanced ISO 204800 25600
Minimum native ISO 100 125
RAW photos
Minimum enhanced ISO 50 64
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 693 25
Lens
Lens mounting type Sony E fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-600mm (25.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/2.4-4.0
Macro focus range - 3cm
Amount of lenses 121 -
Focal length multiplier 1 2.7
Screen
Screen type Tilting Tilting
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 1,440k dot 1,229k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 3,686k dot 2,359k dot
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.78x 0.7x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/2000s
Fastest silent shutter speed 1/32000s 1/32000s
Continuous shutter speed 20.0 frames per sec 14.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash 10.80 m (at Auto ISO)
Flash modes Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync., Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync Auto, fill-flash, slow sync, rear sync, off
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 3840 x 2160 (30p, 25p, 24p), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p) ,1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Highest video resolution 3840x2160 3840x2160
Video format MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 673 grams (1.48 lbs) 1051 grams (2.32 lbs)
Physical dimensions 127 x 96 x 63mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.5") 133 x 94 x 127mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 5.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 92 70
DXO Color Depth score 24.9 23.1
DXO Dynamic range score 13.3 12.6
DXO Low light score 3517 472
Other
Battery life 650 photos 420 photos
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FZ100 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2, 5, 10 secs + continuous) Yes (2 or 10 sec, continuous)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II compatible) SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 2 One
Launch price $4,498 $1,398