Sony
A9 2017
Best for Professional sports, wildlife & action photography
£1999
list price · used from £1012 at eBay
Decision tools · Compare
A9 vs Sony RX1R III
Quick take: The Sony RX1R III has the highest resolution at 61MP; the A9 is the most affordable; only the A9 is weather sealed.
16 specs side by side·14 genres scored·UK prices from Wex Photo Video and Clifton Cameras
How to read this page. Highlighted cells win that row on the spec alone. Genre scores are the engine's base scores (enthusiast, photo and video); Camera Match re-weights them for your level and priorities. Price buttons are affiliate links; the price you pay is the same.
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Verdictwhich should you buy?
A9 — Professional Sports, Wildlife & Action Photography: 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
A9 (2017)
is the right camera for you if…
- 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
Full specificationsthe better value in each row is highlighted
| Specification | A9Sony · 2017 | Sony RX1R IIISony · 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £1,999Best | £3,899 |
| Sensor | 24.2MP Full-Frame Stacked BSI CMOS Exmor RS | 61MP full-frame Exmor R BSI CMOS |
| Resolution | 24.2MP | 61.0MPBest |
| Video | 4K/30p, 1080p/120p | 4K/30p, 10-bit |
| Autofocus | 693 phase-detect + 25 contrast-detect, real-time eye/body tracking | Hybrid phase-detect AF (693 points) with eye detection |
| Stabilisation | IBIS — 5-axis, up to 5 stops | No stabilisation |
| Burst Rate | 20fps (blackout-free, silent electronic shutter with full AF/AE)Best | 5fps |
| Battery Life | ~650 shots (CIPA)Best | 300 shots (CIPA, LCD) |
| Weight | 673g (with battery and card) | 496g (with battery and card)Best |
| Dimensions | 126.9 × 95.6 × 63.0mm | — |
| Weather Sealed | YesBest | Not weather sealed |
| Viewfinder | EVF, OLED 3.69M dots, 0.78× magnification, 60fps refresh (blackout-free) | EVF, 2.36M dots |
| Screen | 3.0" tilting touchscreen | Tilting touchscreen |
| Mount | Sony FE (full-frame E-mount) | Fixed 35mm f/2 Zeiss Sonnar lens |
| Memory Cards | Dual SD UHS-II slots | Single SD (UHS-II) |
| Connectivity | USB, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth, HDMI | USB-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
Wins the row — price, resolution, burst, battery, weight and sealing are compared; text specs aren't ranked.
How they score by genreengine base scores out of 10
Genre
A9
Sony RX1R III
Portrait
7.5/10
5.9/10
Street
6.0/10
7.6/10
Travel
6.1/10
6.1/10
Wedding & Events
7.5/10
5.7/10
Filmmaking
6.7/10
5.3/10
Documentary
6.8/10
5.5/10
Sports & Action
8.2/10
—
Landscape
6.1/10
5.7/10
Wildlife
8.2/10
—
Casual
4.6/10
4.6/10
Food
6.5/10
6.3/10
Macro
5.8/10
4.8/10
Architecture
6.0/10
6.0/10
Astrophotography
7.3/10
6.2/10
Scores come from the same engine as Camera Match: verified specifications weighted by what each genre needs, with documented adjustments. The product page and this table show the enthusiast base score. See how scores are calculated →
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