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Sony a9 III

Real Sensor Data

Brand
Sony
Sensor Format
Full Frame
Resolution
24.6 MP
Pixel Pitch
5.93 microns
Circle of Confusion
0.0288 mm
Crop Factor
1.00x
Announced
2023

The a9 III, released in 2023, carries a genuine sensor-technology first: it's the first full-frame camera with a global shutter, meaning every pixel is exposed and read simultaneously rather than scanned line by line the way every stacked-but-not-global sensor (including its own predecessor) still works. That eliminates rolling-shutter distortion entirely, not just reduces it, and enables flash sync at any shutter speed rather than the fixed sync speed every mechanical or conventional electronic shutter is limited to.

Sony a9 III sensor specs

Sensor
Full Frame
Resolution
24.6 MP
Pixel dimensions
6,075 × 4,050 px
Aspect ratio
3:2
Pixel pitch
5.93 µm
Crop factor
1.00x
Circle of confusion
0.0288 mm

Full Frame sensor · DoF & Hyperfocal Calculator · Astro 500/NPF Calculator

Sony also rated the a9 III's flash sync at any shutter speed up to 1/80,000 second, a genuinely unprecedented figure made possible entirely by its global shutter design.

See these numbers used live in the DoF & Hyperfocal Calculator by selecting the Full Frame sensor format.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a global shutter change depth of field or astro shutter-speed math?

No — global shutter is about how the sensor reads out (all at once, versus line by line), which affects rolling-shutter distortion and flash sync, not the physical relationship between sensor size, pixel pitch, focal length and aperture that this site's calculators depend on.

Why was a global shutter such a big deal for the a9 III specifically?

Sports and action photography is exactly where rolling-shutter distortion (skewed fast-moving subjects, banding under artificial lighting) shows up most, and the a9 III's target use case made eliminating it entirely, rather than just reducing it with a fast stacked sensor, a genuinely significant engineering achievement.