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Sony A9 Comparison Review

The Sony Alpha A9 is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera that was officially introduced in April 2017 and is equipped with a full frame sensor. It offers a resolution of 24 megapixel.

camera

Is the Sony A9 a good camera? The A9 has a Camera Elo of 2622. This rating puts the A9 among the top 50 percent of all mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (full frame cameras), the A9 also ranks among the top 50 percent. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 3-star performance rating.

Headline Specifications
Sony A9
Mirrorless system camera
Sony E mount lenses
24 MP, Full Frame Sensor
4K/30p Video
ISO 100 - 51 200 (50 - 204 800)
Electronic viewfinder (3686k dots)
3.0 LCD, 1440k dots
Tilting touchscreen
20 shutter flaps per second
In-body stabilization
Weathersealed body
650 shots per battery charge
127 x 96 x 63 mm, 673 g

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

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Body comparison with a credit card

The side-by-side display below illustrates the physical size of the Sony A9 vis-à-vis a credit card. Three successive views from the front, the top, and the rear are shown. All size dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

Sony A9 vs credit card front
A9 versus credit card top view
A9 and credit card rear side

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Sony A9 alongside a set of similar cameras. If you want to review a particular camera pair side-by-side, just move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

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Body Specifications
    Camera
Model
Camera
Width
Camera
Height
Camera
Depth
Camera
Weight
Battery
Life
Weather
Sealing
Camera
Launch
Launch
Price
Street
Price
1.
 
Sony A9 127 mm 96 mm 63 mm 673 g 650 Y Apr 2017 EUR 5 299ebay.com
2.
 
Olympus E-M1 II 134 mm 91 mm 67 mm 574 g 440 Y Sep 2016 EUR 1 999ebay.com
3.
 
Panasonic GH5 139 mm 98 mm 87 mm 725 g 410 Y Jan 2017 EUR 1 999ebay.com
4.
 
Sony A7 II 127 mm 96 mm 60 mm 599 g 350 Y Nov 2014 EUR 2 099ebay.com
5.
 
Sony A7 III 127 mm 96 mm 74 mm 650 g 610 Y Feb 2018 EUR 2 299 amazon.com
6.
 
Sony A7R II 127 mm 96 mm 60 mm 625 g 290 Y Jun 2015 EUR 3 499ebay.com
7.
 
Sony A7R III 127 mm 96 mm 74 mm 650 g 650 Y Oct 2017 EUR 3 499ebay.com
8.
 
Sony A7R IIIA 127 mm 96 mm 74 mm 650 g 650 Y Apr 2021 EUR 3 499 amazon.com
9.
 
Sony A7R V 131 mm 97 mm 82 mm 723 g 530 Y Oct 2022 EUR 4 499 amazon.com
10.
 
Sony A7S II 127 mm 96 mm 60 mm 627 g 370 Y Sep 2015 EUR 3 399ebay.com
11.
 
Sony A9 II 129 mm 96 mm 76 mm 678 g 690 Y Oct 2019 EUR 5 399 amazon.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Sony A9 was launched in the US market at a price of $4,499. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

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Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the imaging sensor is a crucial determinant of image quality. A large sensor will generally have larger individual pixels that offer better low-light sensitivity, provide wider dynamic range, and have richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Furthermore, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more possibilities to use shallow depth-of-field in order to isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be more expensive and lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The Sony A9 features a full frame sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.0. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Sony A9 among the large-sensor cameras that aim for top notch image quality.

Sony A9 sensor measures

Since 2007, DXO Mark has published sensor performance measurements that have been derived using a consistent methodology. This service assesses and scores the color depth ("DXO Portrait"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports") of camera sensors, and also publishes an overall camera score. The following table provides an overview of the physical sensor characteristics, as well as the sensor quality measurements for a selection of alternatives.

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Sensor Characteristics
    Camera
Model
Sensor
Class
Resolution
(MP)
Horiz.
Pixels
Vert.
Pixels
Video
Format
DXO
Portrait
DXO
Landscape
DXO
Sports
DXO
Overall
1.
 
Sony A9 Full Frame 24.0 6000 40004K/30p24.913.3351792
2.
 
Olympus E-M1 II Four Thirds 20.2 5184 38884K/30p23.712.8131280
3.
 
Panasonic GH5 Four Thirds 20.2 5184 38884K/60p23.913.080777
4.
 
Sony A7 II Full Frame 24.0 6000 40001080/60p24.913.6244990
5.
 
Sony A7 III Full Frame 24.0 6000 40004K/30p25.014.7373096
6.
 
Sony A7R II Full Frame 42.2 7952 53044K/30p26.013.9343498
7.
 
Sony A7R III Full Frame 42.2 7952 53044K/30p26.014.73523100
8.
 
Sony A7R IIIA Full Frame 42.2 7952 53044K/30p26.014.73523100
9.
 
Sony A7R V Full Frame 60.2 9504 63368k/24p26.514.83187100
10.
 
Sony A7S II Full Frame 12.0 4240 28324K/30p23.613.3299385
11.
 
Sony A9 II Full Frame 24.0 6000 40004K/30p25.014.0343493

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but also of capturing video footage. The A9 indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the A9 can use is 4K/30p.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. For example, the A9 has an electronic viewfinder with a resolution of 3686k dots. The viewfinder offers a field of view of 100% and a magnification of 0.78x. The adjacent tables list some of the other core features of the Sony A9 along with similar information for a selection of comparators.

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Core Features
    Camera
Model
Viewfinder
(Type or
000 dots)
Control
Panel
(yes/no)
LCD
Specifications
(inch/000 dots)
LCD
Attach-
ment
Touch
Screen
(yes/no)
Max
Shutter
Speed *
Max
Shutter
Flaps *
Built-in
Flash
(yes/no)
Built-in
Image
Stab
1.
 
Sony A93686 n3.0 / 1440 tilting Y 1/8000s 20.0/s n Y
2.
 
Olympus E-M1 II2360 n3.0 / 1037 swivel Y 1/8000s 18.0/s n Y
3.
 
Panasonic GH53680 n3.2 / 1620 swivel Y 1/8000s 12.0/s n Y
4.
 
Sony A7 II2400 n3.0 / 1230 tilting n 1/8000s 5.0/s n Y
5.
 
Sony A7 III2359 n3.0 / 922 tilting Y 1/8000s 10.0/s n Y
6.
 
Sony A7R II2400 n3.0 / 1229 tilting n 1/8000s 5.0/s n Y
7.
 
Sony A7R III3686 n3.0 / 1440 tilting Y 1/8000s 10.0/s n Y
8.
 
Sony A7R IIIA3686 n3.0 / 2340 tilting Y 1/8000s 10.0/s n Y
9.
 
Sony A7R V9440 n3.2 / 2100 full-flex Y 1/8000s 10.0/s n Y
10.
 
Sony A7S II2400 n3.0 / 1229 tilting n 1/8000s 5.0/s n Y
11.
 
Sony A9 II3686 n3.0 / 1440 tilting Y 1/8000s 20.0/s n Y
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

The LCD screen on the Sony Alpha A9 is flexibly attached to the body. In particular, the LCD can be tilted vertically to facilitate odd-angle shots in landscape orientation. This tilting design is often preferred, for example, by street photographers to a fully articulated, swivel type of LCD attachment, as it is more unobtrusive during shooting than a screen that flips out to the side.

articulated screen
Flexible screen on the A9

One feature that differentiates the A9 from many older cameras is in-body image stabilization (IBIS). The A9 reduces the risk of handshake-induced blur with all attached lenses, while cameras without IBIS have to rely on optical image stabilization in OIS-equipped lenses to achieve the same effect.

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Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Sony Alpha A9 and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

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Input-Output Connections
    Camera
Model
Hotshoe
Port
Internal
Mic / Speaker
Microphone
Port
Headphone
Port
HDMI
Port
USB
Port
WiFi
Support
NFC
Support
Bluetooth
Support
1.
 
Sony A9Ystereo / monoYYmicro2.0YYY
2.
 
Olympus E-M1 IIYstereo / monoYYmicro3.0Y--
3.
 
Panasonic GH5Ystereo / monoYYfull3.1Y-Y
4.
 
Sony A7 IIYstereo / monoYYmicro2.0YY-
5.
 
Sony A7 IIIYstereo / monoYYmicro3.1YYY
6.
 
Sony A7R IIYstereo / monoYYmicro2.0YY-
7.
 
Sony A7R IIIYstereo / monoYYmicro3.1YYY
8.
 
Sony A7R IIIAYstereo / monoYYmicro3.2YYY
9.
 
Sony A7R VYstereo / monoYYfull3.2Y-Y
10.
 
Sony A7S IIYstereo / monoYYmicro2.0YY-
11.
 
Sony A9 IIYstereo / monoYYmicro3.1YYY

It is notable that the A9 has a microphone port. Such an external microphone input can help to substantially improve the quality of audio recordings when a good external microphone is used.

Further information on the features and operation of the A9 can be found in the free online Sony A9 Manual or on the Sony support site.

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Expert reviews

While the comparison of technical specifications can provide a useful overview of the capabilities of different cameras, it says nothing about, for example, the handling, responsiveness, and overall imaging quality of the A9 in practical situations. User reviews, such as those found at amazon, can sometimes inform about these issues, but such feedback is often incomplete, inconsistent, and biased. This is where reviews by experts come in. The following table reports the overall rankings of the cameras as published by some of the major camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

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Review Scores
     Camera 
 Model 
 AP 
 score 
 CL 
 score 
 DCW 
 score 
 DPR 
 score 
 EPZ 
 score 
 PB 
 score 
Camera
Launch
Launch
Price
Street
Price
1.
 
Sony A95/5+ +4.8/589/1005/55/5 Apr 2017 EUR 5 299ebay.com
2.
 
Olympus E-M1 II5/5+ +5/585/1004.5/54.5/5 Sep 2016 EUR 1 999ebay.com
3.
 
Panasonic GH54.5/5+ +..85/1004.5/55/5 Jan 2017 EUR 1 999ebay.com
4.
 
Sony A7 II5/5+4/582/1004.5/55/5 Nov 2014 EUR 2 099ebay.com
5.
 
Sony A7 III..+ +4.5/589/1005/55/5 Feb 2018 EUR 2 299 amazon.com
6.
 
Sony A7R II5/5+ +5/590/1005/55/5 Jun 2015 EUR 3 499ebay.com
7.
 
Sony A7R III..+ +4/590/1004.5/55/5 Oct 2017 EUR 3 499ebay.com
8.
 
Sony A7R IIIA..+ +4/590/1004.5/55/5 Apr 2021 EUR 3 499 amazon.com
9.
 
Sony A7R V5/5+ +4.5/592/100.... Oct 2022 EUR 4 499 amazon.com
10.
 
Sony A7S II5/5+....4.5/55/5 Sep 2015 EUR 3 399ebay.com
11.
 
Sony A9 II....5/590/1005/55/5 Oct 2019 EUR 5 399 amazon.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

The above review scores should be interpreted with care, though. The ratings are only valid when referring to cameras in the same category and of the same age. A score, therefore, has to be seen in close connection to the price and market introduction time of the camera, and comparing ratings of very distinct cameras or ones that are far apart in terms of their release date have little meaning. Also, kindly note that some of the listed sites have over time developped their review approaches and their reporting style.

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Sony A9 FAQ

Below are some additional questions and answers concerning some particular features of the A9.

What is the technology behind the imaging sensor in the Sony A9?

The camera has a Stacked BSI-CMOS (Stacked Backside Illuminated Complementary Metal–Oxide–Semiconductor) sensor at its core.

Which image processing chip is used in the Sony A9 to convert the raw signal into an image file and perform noise reduction and image sharpening?

Sony equipped the A9 with the BIONZ X image processor.

What is the ISO sensitivity range of the Sony A9?

The camera has a native sensitivity range from ISO 100 to ISO 51200, which can be extended to ISO 50-204800.

What is the life expectancy of the shutter in the Sony Alpha A9?

Sony mentions a shutter rating of 500 000 actuations for the A9. This number represents a Mean Time before Failure, that is an average value. The shutter might fail earlier, or it might last longer. Anyway, in order to exhaust the expected shutter life of the A9 over, say, three years, one would have to take about 500 pictures each and every day.

How do I find the shutter count on my Sony A9?

Sony embeds the number of shutter actuations in image metadata. You can check the number of shots that your A9 has taken up to now by uploading a recent image to the free online shutter count finder app.

Is completely silent shooting possible with the Sony A9?

The camera has an electronic shutter option, so that it is indeed feasible to capture images without any shutter noise.

Is it difficult to use manual focus lenses with the Sony A9?

The A9 offers focus peaking as a manual focus aid. This feature works by placing a colored highlight on in-focus zones within the image.

Does the Sony A9 feature an autofocus assist light?

Yes, the camera has a lamp built-in that can illuminate the subject and improve autofocus in low-light settings.

What is the fastest shutter speed that can be used with the Sony A9 for flash photography?

The A9's flash sync speed is 1/250 sec.

Does the Sony A9 support the Ultra High Speed (UHS) bus interface for SD cards?

Yes, the camera can indeed use UHS-II cards (data transfer speed of up to 312 MB/s) in its first slot, and UHS-I cards (up to 104 MB/s) in its second slot.

Which battery does the Sony A9 use?

The camera gets its power from the Sony NP-FZ100 (here at amazon), which is a rechargeable Lithium-Ion power pack.

Is there a vertical grip available for the Sony A9?

Yes, Sony offers the VG-C3EM as an optional accessory to facilitate shooting in portrait orientation and to provide additional battery power.

Where can I find the best deals for the Sony A9?

Grey imports from Asia, as found on ebay, are often very attractively priced. However, these cameras come without a warranty from Sony.

Camera to camera comparisons

If you would like to see a side-by-side review with another camera, just make a corresponding selection in the search boxes below. Alternatively, you can follow any of the listed hyperlinks for comparisons that others found interesting.

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    Specifications Summary
    Camera Model Sony A9
    Camera Type Mirrorless system camera
    Camera Lens Sony E mount lenses
    Launch Date April 2017
    Launch Price USD 4 499
    Sensor Specs
    Sensor Technology Stacked BSI-CMOS
    Sensor Format Full Frame Sensor
    Sensor Size 35.6 x 23.8 mm
    Sensor Area 847 mm2
    Sensor Diagonal 42.8 mm
    Crop Factor 1.0x
    Sensor Resolution 24 Megapixels
    Image Resolution 6 000 x 4 000 pixels
    Pixel Pitch 5.94 μm
    Pixel Density 2.83 MP/cm2
    Moiré control Anti-Alias filter
    Movie Capability 4K/30p Video
    ISO Setting 100 - 51 200 ISO
    ISO Boost 50 - 204 800 ISO
    Image Processor BIONZ X
    DXO Sensor Quality (score) 92
    DXO Color Depth (bits) 24.9
    DXO Dynamic Range (EV) 13.3
    DXO Low Light (ISO) 3517
    Screen Specs
    Viewfinder Type Electronic viewfinder
    Viewfinder Field of View 100%
    Viewfinder Magnification 0.78x
    Viewfinder Resolution 3686k dots
    Top-Level Screen no Top Display
    LCD Framing Live View
    LCD Size 3.0 inch
    LCD Resolution 1440k dots
    LCD Attachment Tilting screen
    V-logging Friendliness No front-flip
    Touch Input Touchscreen
    Shooting Specs
    Focus System On-Sensor Phase-detect
    Manual Focusing AidFocus Peaking
    Maximum Shutter Speed 1/8000s
    Continuous Shooting 20 shutter flaps/s
    Shutter Life Expectancy500 000 actuations
    Silent ShootingElectronic Shutter
    Time Lapse Photographyno Intervalometer
    Image StabilizationIn-body stabilization
    Fill Flash no On-Board Flash
    Storage Medium MS or SDXC cards
    Single or Dual Card Slots Dual card slots
    UHS card support Single UHS-II
    Connectivity Specs
    External Flash Hotshoe
    Studio Flash PC Sync socket
    USB Connector USB 2.0
    HDMI Port micro HDMI
    Microphone Port External MIC port
    Headphone Socket Headphone port
    Wifi Support Wifi built-in
    Near-Field Communication NFC built-in
    Bluetooth Support Bluetooth built-in
    Body Specs
    Environmental SealingWeathersealed body
    Battery Type Sony NP-FZ100 power pack
    Battery Life (CIPA)650 shots per charge
    In-Camera Charging USB charging
    Body Dimensions 127 x 96 x 63 mm
    (5.0 x 3.8 x 2.5 in)
    Camera Weight 673 g (23.7 oz)

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