Should I Get the Canon EOS R1 or the Sony Alpha 9 III?

The a9 series targets sports and action, and the a9 III is Sony's latest model in that series. This camera was introduced earlier in the same year as the R1, and includes some outstanding features.

Check out the R1 vs. a9 III specification comparison along with the visual comparison of these cameras.

What are the differences between the Canon EOS R1 and the a9 III? Here are the R1 advantages:

• ISO 100-102400 expandable to 50 and 409600 vs. 250–25600 and 125 to 51200 (notably, the a9 III omits the lowest noise settings)
• Eye Control AF vs. no (dramatically faster AF point or area positioning)
• AF working range of EV -7.5 to 21 vs. EV -5 – 20 (the Canon camera focuses in darker environments)
• 6144-zone metering vs. 1200-zone (more areas evaluated yields potential improvement in auto exposure results)
• 230 image RAW buffer vs. 106
• Has 6K RAW
• 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 GHz vs. 802.11ac (5 GHz)
• Has a top LCD panel
• Dual CFexpress Type B slots vs. dual multi slot for SD, SDHC, SDXC (UHS-I/II)/CFexpress Type A (Type B cards are faster and less expensive than A cards, but A cards are smaller and SD cards are less expensive)
• Higher capacity battery rated for 1330 LCD and 700 EVF vs. 530 and 400 (the a9 III's battery grip doubles these numbers, closing much of the gap)
• Neural Network upscaling (2x larger in both dimensions to 179 megapixels) and noise reduction processing in camera (both with JPG output only)
• 8.5-stop IBIS vs. 8

The a9 III's advantages are:

• Global shutter, 0 ms imaging sensor readout speed vs. 2.7 ms (While this difference seems small, the global shutter can eliminate some issues, such as LED signage flicker)
• 120 fps continuous shooting vs. 40 (while 40 fps is sufficient for most needs, the 120 fps difference is noticeable)
• Metering range of EV -5 – 17 compared to EV -3 – 20
• +/- 5.0 EV exposure compensation vs. +/- 3
• 1/80000 shutter vs. 1/64000 (likely few us us will care about this difference)
• Flash sync to 1/80000 vs. 1/400
• 0.64" (16mm) EVF vs. 0.50" (12.7mm)
• 240 fps EVF refresh rate vs. 120 fps
• 4-axis multi-angle touchscreen LCD vs. vari-angle
• Considerably smaller and lighter: 26.0 vs. 39.3 oz (737 vs. 1115 g) (but the a9 III's grip adds 10.23 oz (290 g) and considerable size, closing the gap)
• Slightly less expensive

Again, comparing across brands is significantly challenged by the differing interface and ergonomics, and these two cameras are vastly different. Those advantages are a personal preference.

If you have not already done so, order the R1 immediately if you have even a remote interest in it.

More Information

Canon EOS R1

Sony Alpha 9 III