Ricoh GR IIIvs A9
Ricoh
Ricoh GR III (2019)
Starting from £899 new
Best for Street photography & urban reportage
View Ricoh GR III
Sony
A9 (2017)
Starting from £1999 new
Best for Professional sports, wildlife & action photography
View A9
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
Street Photography & Urban Reportage — Ricoh GR III (2019): The purest street photography compact — APS-C sensor, 28mm perspective, IBIS, and cult-favourite JPEG rendering in a shirt pocket.
Professional Sports, Wildlife & Action Photography — A9 (2017): The camera that changed professional photography — the A9's 20fps blackout-free burst and silent shutter proved mirrorless had definitively surpassed the DSLR.
Who should buy what
Ricoh GR III (2019)
- Street photographers who want a classic 28mm perspective in a pocketable body
- Documentary photographers who want a discreet, fast APS-C compact
- GR IIIx buyers who prefer the wider 28mm field of view
- Anyone who wants serious APS-C image quality without carrying a bag
A9 (2017)
- Sports photographers who want the original 20fps mirrorless at a lower used price than the A9 II
- Wildlife photographers who need blackout-free burst with fast, reliable tracking
- Sony FE system users who want a professional sports body
- Photographers interested in the camera that changed the industry
Quick take: The ricoh gr iii is the most affordable; only the a9 is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Ricoh GR III (2019) | A9 (2017) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £899 | £1,999 |
| Sensor | 24.2MP APS-C CMOS | 24.2MP Full-Frame Stacked BSI CMOS Exmor RS |
| Resolution | 24.2MP | 24.2MP |
| Video | 1080p/60p | 4K/30p, 1080p/120p |
| Autofocus | Hybrid contrast/phase-detect AF with subject detection | 693 phase-detect + 25 contrast-detect, real-time eye/body tracking |
| Stabilisation | 4-stop IBIS (Shake Reduction) | IBIS — 5-axis, up to 5 stops |
| Burst Rate | 4fps | 20fps (blackout-free, silent electronic shutter with full AF/AE) |
| Battery Life | 200 shots (CIPA) | ~650 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 257g | 673g (with battery and card) |
| Dimensions | 109.4 × 61.9 × 33.2mm | 126.9 × 95.6 × 63.0mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | None | EVF, OLED 3.69M dots, 0.78× magnification, 60fps refresh (blackout-free) |
| Screen | 3.0" fixed touchscreen | 3.0" tilting touchscreen |
| Mount | Fixed 28mm-equiv f/2.8 lens | Sony FE (full-frame E-mount) |
| Memory Cards | Single SD UHS-I | Dual SD UHS-II slots |
| Connectivity | USB-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | USB, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth, HDMI |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Ricoh GR III | A9 |
|---|---|---|
| Street | — | |
| Travel | ||
| Documentary | — | |
| Portrait | ||
| Landscape | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Sports & Action | — | |
| Wildlife | — | |
| Wedding & Events | — |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
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Camera family history