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Sony Alpha 7 IV vs Sony Alpha 9 III

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

Better figure, where one is clearly better

SonyAlpha 7 IVSonyAlpha 9 III
Overview
ReleasedNovember 2021January 2024
Image and sensor
Camera typeMirrorlessMirrorless
Sensor formatFull frameFull frame
Sensor typeExmor R back-illuminated CMOSStacked Exmor RS CMOS with global shutter
Sensor dimensions35.9 × 23.9 mm35.6 × 23.8 mm
Effective resolution33 MP24.6 MP
Largest image7008 × 46726000 × 4000
RAW recordingYesYes
Standard ISO range100–51200250–25600
Sensor detailApproximately 34.1 million total pixels; 3:2 full-frame sensorApproximately 25.2 million total pixels; integral memory and global exposure rather than sequential line exposure.
Image formatsJPEG, HEIF and 14-bit RAW; compressed, lossless compressed and uncompressed RAW optionsJPEG, HEIF and Sony ARW 5.0 RAW.
ISO detailStandard still-image ISO 100–51200; expanded ISO 50–204800. Movie ISO 100–51200, expandable to 102400.Standard ISO 250–25600 for stills and movies; stills expand to ISO 125–51200.
Image processorBIONZ XRBIONZ XR with dedicated AI processing unit.
Lens and shooting
Lens mountSony E-mountSony E-mount
StabilisationSensor shiftSensor shift
Maximum continuous burst10 fps120 fps
Lens detailInterchangeable E-mount; body figures exclude lenses. ILCE-7M4K kit includes FE 28–70mm F3.5–5.6 OSS.–
AutofocusFast Hybrid AF with 759 phase-detection and 425 contrast-detection points in full-frame mode; Eye AF recognises humans, animals and birds in stills and moviesUp 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 or electronic shutter; 1/8000 second to 30 seconds plus Bulb; full-frame flash sync 1/250 second–
Burst detailHi+ up to 10 fps, Hi 8 fps, Mid 6 fps and Lo 3 fps. Photography Blog and TechRadar report JPEG/compressed RAW are needed for 10 fps; uncompressed or lossless RAW slows to approximately 5–6 fps. Speed and buffer depend on shooting conditions and card.Up 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 detailFive-axis sensor shift; maker claims 5.5 stops under CIPA pitch/yaw conditions with Planar T* FE 50mm F1.4 ZA. Active movie stabilisation adds a crop.Five-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.
Video
Highest video resolution3840 × 2160 at 60 fps3840 × 2160 at 120 fps
Video detailInternal 4K up to 60p, including 10-bit 4:2:2; 60p/50p uses APS-C/Super 35 rather than full-frame readout. Full-frame 4K 30p uses 7K oversampling. Full HD up to 120p; S-Log3, HLG and S-Cinetone. USB streaming tops out at 4K 15p or Full HD 60p, separately from internal recording.Up 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.
Screen and viewfinder
ViewfinderElectronicElectronic
Screen size3″3.2″
Screen dots1,036,8002,095,104
TouchscreenYesYes
Tilting screenYesYes
Display detailSide-opening vari-angle touchscreen, approximately 176° opening and 270° rotation; dots are not image pixelsFour-axis LCD tilts and opens sideways; approximately 98° up, 40° down, 180° sideways and 270° rotation.
Viewfinder detail0.5-type OLED; 3,686,400 dots; 100% coverage; approximately 0.78× magnification; 60 or 120 fps display0.64-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)580 photographs530 photographs
Body weight573 g617 g
Release detailSony Hong Kong states 25 November 2021 availability; the UK announcement gives December 2021. Announced on 21 October 2021. This is ILCE-7M4, not the Alpha 7R IV or Alpha 7S III.Sony UK announced availability in January 2024; Japan's announcement specifies 26 January. The main date retains UK month precision.
Recording mediaSlot 1 accepts CFexpress Type A or UHS-I/II SD cards; slot 2 accepts UHS-I/II SD cardsBoth slots accept CFexpress Type A or UHS-I/UHS-II SD.
PortsFull-size HDMI Type A; USB-C 10Gbps with Power Delivery; Multi/Micro USB; 3.5 mm microphone and headphone sockets; Multi Interface Shoe with digital audioUSB 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 connectionsDual-band Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, subject to regional 5 GHz restrictions; Bluetooth 4.1Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac at 2.4/5 GHz and Bluetooth 5.0.
Battery life detailNP-FZ100. Current Sony Japan specifications give approximately 580 photographs with the monitor or 520 with the viewfinder under CIPA conditions; Photography Blog's launch review instead reports a 610-shot claim. Main figure follows the current maker table.NP-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.
ChargingIn-camera USB-C charging and USB Power Delivery–
DimensionsApproximately 131.3 × 96.4 × 79.8 mm; 69.7 mm depth from grip to monitorApproximately 136.1 × 96.9 × 82.9 mm (width × height × maximum depth); grip-to-monitor depth 72.8 mm.
Weight detailApproximately 573 g body only; current Sony specifications give 658 g with battery and memory card. Photography Blog incorrectly describes the loaded figure as excluding battery/card; it is not used as body weight.Sony 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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