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Canon EOS-1D X Mark III vs Sony Alpha 9 III

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Better figure, where one is clearly better

CanonEOS-1D X Mark IIISonyAlpha 9 III
Overview
ReleasedFebruary 2020January 2024
Image and sensor
Camera typeDSLRMirrorless
Sensor formatFull frameFull frame
Sensor typeCMOSStacked Exmor RS CMOS with global shutter
Sensor dimensions35.9 × 23.9 mm35.6 × 23.8 mm
Effective resolution20.1 MP24.6 MP
Largest image5472 × 36486000 × 4000
RAW recordingYesYes
Standard ISO range100–102400250–25600
Sensor detailApproximately 20.1 million effective pixels on a 35.9 × 23.9 mm full-frame CMOS sensor; automatic/manual cleaning and Dust Delete DataApproximately 25.2 million total pixels; integral memory and global exposure rather than sequential line exposure.
Image formats14-bit RAW/C-RAW, 8-bit JPEG and 10-bit HEIF HDR PQ; electronic shutter uses 12-bit RAW conversion; simultaneous RAW and JPEG or HEIF availableJPEG, HEIF and Sony ARW 5.0 RAW.
ISO detailStandard still-photo ISO 100–102400, expandable to ISO 50, 204800, 409600 or 819200; movie ISO range depends on recording modeStandard ISO 250–25600 for stills and movies; stills expand to ISO 125–51200.
Image processorDIGIC XBIONZ XR with dedicated AI processing unit.
Lens and shooting
Lens mountCanon EFSony E-mount
Stabilisation–Sensor shift
Maximum continuous burst20 fps120 fps
Lens detailCanon EF lenses; EF-S and EF-M incompatible; official photo shows an attached EF 24-70mm F2.8L II USM whose figures are separate from the body–
AutofocusOptical-viewfinder phase-detection AF with up to 191 points and 155 cross-type points depending on lens, with face/head recognition; live-view Dual Pixel CMOS AF with up to 3869 selectable positions, 525 automatic areas and eye detection; area coverage depends on lensUp to 759 still-image or 627 movie phase-detection points; sensitivity EV −5 to 20 with an F2 lens at ISO 100 equivalent. Current UK specification includes automatic subject selection and people, animals, birds, insects, cars, trains and aircraft; launch reviews precede later firmware enhancements.
ShutterMechanical and electronic first curtain 30–1/8000 second plus Bulb; live-view electronic 0.5–1/8000 second; maximum flash sync 1/250 second–
Burst detailUp to 16 fps through the optical viewfinder or 20 fps in live view, with AF/AE tracking; live-view mechanical or electronic shutter supported; maker buffer claim at least 1000 JPEG, HEIF, RAW or RAW+JPEG frames in viewfinder shooting using a specified 325 GB test card; approximately 350 RAW+HEIF; lens, lighting, power, temperature and settings affect performanceUp to 120 fps full-resolution electronic bursts with AF/AE tracking under Sony test conditions; speed depends on lens compatibility and shooting settings. Pre-Capture retains up to one second before full shutter press. No mechanical shutter.
Stabilisation detailMovie Digital IS available; this is electronic movie stabilisation rather than sensor-shift IBISFive-axis sensor shift; 8.0-stop CIPA pitch/yaw claim with FE 50mm F1.2 GM and long-exposure noise reduction off. Active and Dynamic Active movie modes supported.
FlashExternal EL/EX Speedlite E-TTL II support; PC sync terminal and flash controls–
Exposure controlsP, Tv, Av, M, Bulb and three custom modes; viewfinder 216-zone metering with approximately 400000-pixel RGB+IR sensor; live-view/movie 384-zone image-sensor metering; compensation up to ±5 EV through viewfinder or ±3 EV in live view/movies–
Video
Highest video resolution5472 × 2886 at 59.94 fps3840 × 2160 at 120 fps
Video detailInternal 12-bit RAW 5472 × 2886 up to 59.94/50 fps; DCI 4096 × 2160 and UHD 3840 × 2160 up to 59.94/50 fps; Full HD up to 119.9/100 fps; H.264 8-bit 4:2:0 or H.265 10-bit 4:2:2 with Canon Log; main RAW 59.94p maker bitrate approximately 2600 Mbps; 4K HDMI output supported; DPReview notes autofocus requires cropped 4K or lower frame rates in full-width recordingUp to uncropped 3840 × 2160 120p NTSC or 100p PAL; 4K 60p uses 6K oversampling. Supports 10-bit 4:2:2, S-Log3 and S-Cinetone; All-Intra 4K tops out at 60p. External HDMI RAW output is separate from internal recording.
AudioBuilt-in monaural microphone; stereo external microphone/line input and headphone sockets; adjustable levels, wind filter and attenuator–
Screen and viewfinder
ViewfinderOpticalElectronic
Screen size3.15″3.2″
Screen dots2,100,0002,095,104
TouchscreenYesYes
Tilting screenNoYes
Display detailFixed capacitive touchscreen; maker manual specifies 8.01 cm (3.15 inches), approximately 2.1 million dots; commonly marketed rounded as 3.2 inchesFour-axis LCD tilts and opens sideways; approximately 98° up, 40° down, 180° sideways and 270° rotation.
Viewfinder detailOptical eye-level pentaprism with approximately 100% coverage and 0.76× magnification with a 50 mm lens at infinity; built-in eyepiece shutter0.64-inch Quad-XGA OLED with 9437184 dots and approximately 0.90× magnification with a 50 mm lens at infinity; selectable up to 240 fps NTSC or 200 fps PAL.
Connections and design
Wi-FiYesYes
BluetoothYesYes
Battery life (maker's claim)2850 photographs530 photographs
Body weight1250 g617 g
Release detailCanon Camera Museum records first marketing in February 2020; no exact first-sale day inferredSony UK announced availability in January 2024; Japan's announcement specifies 26 January. The main date retains UK month precision.
Recording mediaTwo CFexpress Type B memory-card slots; still/movie separation and recording/backup optionsBoth slots accept CFexpress Type A or UHS-I/UHS-II SD.
PortsUSB-C SuperSpeed Plus USB 3.1 Gen 2, mini HDMI Type C, microphone/line input, headphone socket, N3 remote terminal, RJ45 Ethernet, WFT-E9 extension connector and PC flash syncUSB Type-C at 10 Gbps, Multi/Micro USB, full-size HDMI, 1000BASE-T Ethernet, sync terminal, 3.5 mm microphone and headphone sockets and digital-audio Multi Interface Shoe.
Wireless connectionsWi-Fi 802.11b/g/n at 2.4 GHz and Bluetooth Low Energy 4.2; wired Ethernet 10/100/1000BASE-T; GPS, GLONASS and QZSS geotaggingWi-Fi IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac at 2.4/5 GHz and Bluetooth 5.0.
Battery life detailLP-E19; maker approximately 2850 viewfinder or 610 live-view photographs at 23°C with a fully charged battery; approximately 2360/530 respectively at 0°C, based on Canon/CIPA testingNP-FZ100; Sony UK CIPA approximately 530 photographs with LCD or 400 with viewfinder. Japan lists 520/410 respectively. USB Type-C Power Delivery charging and power supported.
DimensionsApproximately 158.0 × 167.6 × 82.6 mm (width × height × depth)Approximately 136.1 × 96.9 × 82.9 mm (width × height × maximum depth); grip-to-monitor depth 72.8 mm.
Weight detailApproximately 1250 g body only or 1440 g including battery and card; attached lens in official image is excludedSony UK specifies approximately 617 g body only or 702 g with battery and memory card; Japan specifies 618/703 g respectively. Main figures use the UK specification.
In the box–NP-FZ100 battery, BC-QZ1 charger, power cord, cable protector, shoulder strap, body cap, accessory shoe cap and eyepiece cup, according to Sony UK.

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