The Sony A9 III from 2023 is a 24 megapixel full-frame mirrorless digicam that has a transparent deal with offering as a lot velocity as doable for sports activities and wildlife images.
The Nikon Z8 from 2023 is a forty five megapixel full-frame mirrorless digicam that is designed to be be extra of an all-rounder which excels at each stills and video.
It is value declaring from the outset that the Z9 is considerably cheaper than the A9 III.
We’re bringing you this Sony A9 III vs Nikon Z8 head-to-head comparability that can assist you select between these two full-frame cameras.
You may as well learn our detailed Sony A9 III assessment and Nikon Z8 assessment to seek out out precisely what we consider each in way more depth.
Sensor
These cameras provide very totally different megapixel counts and likewise use very totally different sensor applied sciences.
The Nikon Z8 has a forty five.7 megapixel stacked BSI CMOS picture sensor paired with the most recent EXPEED 7 processor.
The Sony A9 III has a stacked Exmor RS CMOS sensor providing a decision of 24.6 megapixels and two of the very newest BIONZ XR processors, which supply 8x extra processing energy than the BIONZ X processor discovered within the earlier A9 II.
So if decision is vital, the Z8 is clearly the higher selection because it affords almost twice as many megapixels.
Each fashions have a stacked CMOS sensor with integral reminiscence, which improves the picture high quality with greater pixel numbers in comparison with a traditional CMOS sensor, will increase the imaging velocity for quicker burst taking pictures, and improves the low-light-imaging functionality.
World Shutter
The important thing distinction between them is a giant one although – the A9 III makes use of the world’s first ever 35mm full-frame world shutter picture sensor, whereas the Z8 has a extra standard progressive sensor design.
So whereas the Z8 reads out the sensor line by line, a worldwide shutter permits the A9 III to immediately learn the complete sensor in a single go.
This has various necessary advantages. It nearly eliminates rolling shutter in video, distortion of motion if the topic strikes rapidly throughout the body, and flicker and banding beneath synthetic lights, while offering an extremely excessive shutter velocity of 1/80,000th second.
ISO Pace
The native ISO vary of the Nikon Z8 is 64 to 25,600, which could be expanded right down to ISO 32 and as much as 102,400.
The ISO vary of the A9 III is 250-25600, expandable to 125-51200 for stills, as a attribute of the worldwide shutter sensor is the next base ISO velocity.
Video
The Z8 affords UHD 8K 60p/30p/24p video recording with no crop and 4K as much as 120p, once more utilizing the whole thing of the body with no crop issue. Additionally 4K UHD video oversampled from 8K is feasible when recording within the 30p/25p/24p modes for even better sharpness and element. Inner recording with 10-bit colour and 4:2:2 sampling is supported through the ProRes 422 HQ and H.265 codecs.
Notice that the Z8 is proscribed to recording 8K/30p for 90 minutes and 4K/60p for over 2 hours with out overheating.
The A9 III options 6K oversampling for 4K 60p and 4K 120p with out cropping, all distortion-free (no jello impact) in 10-bit 4:2:2 S-log3 / S-Cinetone, with Dynamic Lively Mode stabilisation, respiration compensation and customized LUTS all out there.
Autofocus
The Sony A9 III’s AF system has 759 on-sensor part detection factors that cowl roughly 95% of the picture space and it could actually focus right down to -5EV.
It might probably recognise a human through its pose in addition to its eye and face. So if the particular person’s head is turned away from the digicam, it would nonetheless precisely detect the topic as human primarily based on its AI deep studying.
It might probably additionally recognise animals, birds, bugs, airplanes, and vehicles/trains. Within the latter class, it’s now able to specializing in helmets, it could actually recognise the eyes of some grazing and small animals, and extra simply pinpoint the eyes of quite a lot of chook varieties in addition to recognising chook our bodies.
The Nikon Z8 has a 493-point phase-detection AF system which incorporates 405 auto-area AF factors, with 100% body protection. Impressively it could actually focus in mild ranges as little as -9EV when used within the Starlight mode.
Topic monitoring works for people, canines, cats and birds, the latter even in flight, plus autos, together with trains, bicycles and motorbikes.
What’s extra, if the driving force is carrying a helmet, the AF system will lock on to that, guaranteeing that crucial topic is in focus.
The Z8 moreover recognises plane as a topic – both the entire physique, entrance or the cockpit.
Burst Taking pictures
The Nikon Z8 affords burst taking pictures charges which fluctuate from 120fps to 20fps relying on the file format, though 120fps is barely recorded at 11 megapixel decision.
Should you select to shoot full-resolution 45 megapixel JPEGs, the speed drops to a nonetheless spectacular 30fps, after which down once more to 20fps for full-resolution 45 megapixel Uncooked information.
The A9 III can file an astonishing 120 frames per second for 192 frames / 1.6 seconds at full 24 megapixel decision for each JPEG and 14-bit Uncooked codecs with full-time AF/AE and no blackout between frames.
Pre-capture is a brand new function on the A9 III that we have seen earlier than on different producers’ cameras, however is a primary for Sony. When activated, as much as 120 frames per second are quickly saved whereas the shutter button is half-pressed, and as much as 1 second earlier than could be captured as soon as the shutter is absolutely pressed, offering a level of leniency for fast-moving motion.
The Steady Pace Taking pictures Increase operate supplies a straightforward method to have interaction the headline-grabbing 120fps burst mode – sure, 120 frames per second for 1.6 seconds at full 24 megapixel decision for each JPEG and 14-bit Uncooked codecs with full-time AF/AE! – on the press of a button, in the event you’re not already taking pictures at 120fps.
Shutter Pace
The Z8 has a really quick most shutter velocity of 1/32,000th second due to its digital shutter, however the A9III ups the ante by providing an much more spectacular 1/80,000th shutter velocity for stills.
Notice that for the second the utmost shutter velocity is 1/16,000th second when the A9 III is about to any burst taking pictures mode, even the Low setting. It will apparently be modified to 1/80,000th sec in March 2024 through a firmware replace.
Flash Sync Pace
Flash-sync is on the market at any shutter velocity as much as 1/80,000th sec on the A9 III due to its world shutter, fully eliminating the necessity for a high-speed flash sync setting,
This probably permits the photographer to overpower the solar and management the background publicity even at noon at base ISO with a excessive shutter velocity, and simply use a small, inexpensive flashgun as a fill-in mild.
Compared the Z8 has a flash sync velocity of 1/200 sec, which is way more typical.
Physique
The Nikon Z8 measures 144 x 118.5 x 83 mm and weighs 910 g / 2 lb. 0.1 oz..
The Sony A9 III is considerably smaller and lighter, measuring 136.1 x 96.9 x 82.9 mm and weighing 702 g / 1 lb 8.8 oz.
Each of them can be utilized with an non-obligatory battery grip, in the event you’d favor to have a bigger physique with portrait controls and prolonged battery life.
Each cameras are absolutely weather-sealed, as you’d anticipate from such skilled stage fashions.
Viewfinder
The A9 III has a a lot better viewfinder than the A9 II – a class-leading 9.44M-dot OLED Quad-XGA digital viewfinder with 0.90x magnification and a refresh price of as much as 240fps.
The Z8 has a lower-res black-out free, 3690k-dot, 0.8x-magnification OLED digital viewfinder that refreshes at 120fps, excellent for monitoring your topic while taking pictures at as much as 30fps.
LCD Display
The A9 III inherits the three.2-inch, 2095K dot decision, 4-axis LCD display screen from the A7R V and which is exclusive to Sony, which could be flipped out to the aspect, rotated to the entrance, folded in opposition to the again of the digicam to assist shield it, and set to many different positions in-between.
The Z8 has a four-axis vertically and horizontally tilting 3.2-inch, 2,100K-dot touch-screen LCD display screen.
While not fairly as versatile as a completely articulating, vari-angle LCD display screen, the Z8’s display screen works very effectively for each portrait or landscape-orientation taking pictures.
You’ll be able to tilt it upwards to face you in both mode, while nonetheless being centrally situated which make it simpler to compose with than a display screen that flips out to the aspect.
IBIS
Each cameras have 5-axis optical in-body picture stabilisation that corrects for pitch and yaw shake.
The Nikon Z8 has an n-body five-axis picture stabilisation system which supplies as much as 6 stops of compensation when paired with sure Z-series lenses that even have their very own built-in Vibration Discount (VR) system.
Due to a newly redesigned stabilisation unit, the A9 III affords as much as 8 stops of in-body stabilisation, making it essentially the most succesful Alpha digicam on this regard.
The A9 III additionally advantages from having two digital stabilization modes for video recording. There is a particular Lively Mode that will increase stabilization for hand-held film taking pictures by utilizing the BIONZ XR processors.
Offering much more compensation on the expense of an elevated crop issue is the brand new Dynamic Lively Mode, which improves the stabilisation by greater than 30% over the Lively Mode.
Reminiscence Playing cards
The Z8 has twin reminiscence card slots, one UHS-II SD card slot and one ultra-high velocity CFexpress Sort B slot.
The A9 III additionally has twin slots, however each of them can be utilized for both SD UHS-I/II compliant reminiscence playing cards or quicker CFexpress Sort A playing cards.
Battery Life
The Sony A9 III makes use of the NP-FZ100 battery and is able to recording 530 pictures utilizing the LCD display screen and 400 when utilizing the EVF.
The Z8 makes use of the EN-EL15C battery, which supplies a CIPA-rated 370 pictures utilizing the LCD display screen or 340 pictures when utilizing the EVF.
Each cameras will also be powered and charged through a USB connection, which is beneficial in the event you’re out and about and have a appropriate powerbank to plug the digicam into, and each use the newer USB-C variant.
Worth
The Sony A9 III is priced at £6100 / $6000 / €7000 body-only within the UK, US and Europe respectively.
The Nikon Z8 is priced at round £3,999 / $3,999 body-only within the UK and US respectively, which implies that it prices round 33% lower than the A9 III.
Conclusion
Selecting between the brand new Sony A9 III and the Nikon Z8 actually comes down whether or not or not you may profit from the previous’s world shutter know-how, as in any other case they’re very evenly matched. There’s additionally a big worth distinction between them.
So what do you assume? Would you select the Nikon Z8 or the Sony A9 III? Go away a remark beneath!
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