Ricoh GR IIIxvs A9
Ricoh
Ricoh GR IIIx (2021)
Starting from £999 new
Best for Street portraits & reportage
View Ricoh GR IIIx
Sony
A9 (2017)
Starting from £1999 new
Best for Professional sports, wildlife & action photography
View A9
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
Street Portraits & Reportage — Ricoh GR IIIx (2021): APS-C in a shirt pocket with a 40mm perspective — the GR IIIx is the ideal street portrait compact for photographers who want a slightly tighter frame.
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 IIIx (2021)
- Street photographers who want the most pocketable APS-C camera available
- Ricoh GR III owners who prefer a 40mm equivalent over 28mm
- Travel photographers who want one discreet camera that fits anywhere
- Photographers who want a pocketable backup to a larger mirrorless system
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 iiix is the most affordable; only the a9 is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Ricoh GR IIIx (2021) | A9 (2017) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £999 | £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 | 262g | 673g (with battery and card) |
| Dimensions | 111.2 × 61.4 × 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 40mm-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 IIIx | 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