Pentax 17vs Sony A9 III
Pentax
Pentax 17 (2024)
Starting from £400 new
Best for Film photography enthusiasts & diptych storytelling
View Pentax 17
VS
Sony
Sony A9 III (2023)
Starting from £5999 new
Best for Sports & action professionals
View Sony A9 III
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
Film Photography Enthusiasts & Diptych Storytelling — Pentax 17 (2024): The best new film camera of the decade — manual controls, a sharp lens, and a half-frame format that doubles your roll and forces a new way of seeing.
Sports & Action Professionals — Sony A9 III (2023): A paradigm-shifting camera — the global shutter eliminates every rolling shutter limitation that has constrained action photography for years.
Who should buy what
Sony A9 III (2023)
- Professional sports photographers who need zero blackout and 120fps burst
- Wildlife photographers who demand the most advanced Sony AF available
- Photojournalists who need flash sync at any shutter speed
- A9 II owners upgrading to the world's first full-frame global shutter
Quick take: The pentax 17 is the most affordable; only the sony a9 iii is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Pentax 17 (2024) | Sony A9 III (2023) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £400 | £5,999 |
| Sensor | 35mm half-frame (18 × 24mm) | 24.6MP full-frame Exmor RS CMOS (global shutter) |
| Resolution | — | 24.6MP |
| Video | N/A — film camera | 4K/120p, 4K/60p, 1080p/240p |
| Autofocus | Zone focus (0.35m / 1m / 3m / ∞) | AI subject recognition AF, 759-point phase-detect |
| Stabilisation | N/A — film camera | 8-stop IBIS |
| Burst Rate | Manual wind-on | 120fps blackout-free electronic |
| Battery Life | 2× CR2 lithium batteries | 530 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | ~165g (without batteries) | 703g body only |
| Dimensions | 113 × 66 × 44mm | 136.1 × 96.9 × 82.9mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Optical viewfinder with half-frame framelines | 0.64" Quad-XGA OLED EVF, 9.44M dots |
| Screen | N/A | 3.2" fully articulating touchscreen |
| Mount | 35mm film (ISO 25–3200 via DX coding + manual dial) | Sony FE (E-mount) |
| Memory Cards | 35mm 135-format film cartridge | Dual CFexpress Type A / SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | N/A | USB-C 3.2, HDMI A, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3 |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Pentax 17 | Sony A9 III |
|---|---|---|
| Street | — | |
| Travel | ||
| Portrait | ||
| Everyday | — | |
| Landscape | — | |
| Low Light | — | |
| Sports & Action | — | |
| Wildlife | — | |
| Wedding & Events | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | — |
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