Sony Just Revolutionized Professional Photography

Sony's new a9 III camera is set to revolutionize professional photography. With the world's first full frame global shutter sensor, this remarkable technology eliminates historic limitations to unlock astounding new creative possibilities.

I thought twice about using the word "revolutionized" in the title, but in the end, I decided it was the right word. The recent introduction of Sony’s groundbreaking a9 III camera has ushered in a new era for professional image capture. At its heart is the world’s first global shutter in a full frame sensor, a long-awaited (like, really long) advancement that will fundamentally transform many areas of professional photography.

By eliminating the limitations of previous sensor design, the global shutter unlocks game-changing improvements in capture speed, flash sync, and more. The implications for professional photographers are enormous. Let's examine this revolutionary technology and how it will redefine the boundaries of what is possible in professional photography.

Faster Capture

Electronic rolling shutters top out around 1/32,000 s in most high-level cameras, an improvement of two stops over mechanical shutters. This has limited the ability to freeze extremely fast motion, often necessitating resorting to using flash. The a9 III’s global shutter blasts past these limits to a mind-bending 1/80,000s. For professionals capturing hyper-fast action, this is a dream come true.

A 1/80,000 s shutter speed enables freezing of the fastest subjects in virtually any situation. Crack-of-the-bat baseball swings, hummingbird wings, or bullet impacts can now be captured crisply frozen in time. This will transform the work of sports, wildlife, and action photographers.

Distortion Obliterated

This is the big one. Rolling shutter cameras suffer from distortion of fast movement or panning, particularly with longer lenses. This has long plagued professional photographers who require crisp, clean results. The global shutter eliminates these undesirable artifacts, thanks to simultaneous exposure of the entire frame, allowing the use of an electronic shutter for any sort of action without worry. 

Without distortion, professionals can pan freely with long glass or photograph fast cars or propeller blades without warping. Having this clean image capture capability opens new creative options for capturing motion. The combination of ultra-high speed and distortion-free output enables types of images impossible with previous cameras. For example, I frequently photograph classical music concerts, which necessitates me using an electronic shutter due to the need to remain quiet. The trade-off is that violin, viola, cello, and bass bows often looked curved due to rolling shutter. That would not be an issue with a global shutter, allowing me to shoot in silence while still capturing an accurate rendering. 

Unchained Flash Photography

Normal sensor designs impose a flash sync ceiling around 1/250s, heavily restricting creative lighting options. The unprecedented speed range of Sony’s new global shutter obliterates this barrier with flash sync up to 1/80,000s.

This enormous headroom offers game-changing tools for creative professionals. Shooting wide open in daylight while retaining flash control is now possible without the need for ND filters or high-speed sync, which results in power loss and banding. This exceptional flash control will be a revelation for portraiture, commercial, and wedding photographers.

No More Flicker Photos

Anyone who has shot under fluorescent lights that cycle know how infuriating it can be to get an image with banded lighting or two different exposures across the frame. Modern cameras often have a flicker-free functions that slightly alters the timing of the shutter to reduce this issues, but it slows down the burst rate and doesn't totally fix image quality. Since a global shutter exposes the entire frame simultaneously, you will not have two different exposures in the same frame, ever. You may still see differences between successive frames, but this is much more easily fixed, and Sony also included an Anti-Flicker function to address this if desired. 

Limitless Video

Rolling shutters introduce ugly distortions when panning or with fast motion. The global shutter enables pristine video. This capability empowers new realms of video capture. Clean recording during fast panned movements or tracking of fast action takes videos to the next level. Videographers will find exciting new creative opportunities.

Next Generation Autofocus

120 fps is great, but it doesn't mean much if autofocus can't keep pace. To fully exploit the capabilities, the camera needs an AF system to match. Sony’s latest algorithms and AI processing enable improved speed, tenacity, and precision. While we have yet to see full results, it's reasonable to assume the system is improved over the a9 II, which already offered impressive performance. Sony’s acclaimed Eye AF has also reached new levels of performance, with increased tracking tenacity over previous models. This translates to more in-focus shots of athletes, animals, children, and other unpredictable subjects.

Blackout-Free 120 FPS Bursts

One of the most important capabilities unlocked by the global shutter is blackout-free continuous shooting at up to 120 frames per second. This astonishing burst performance enables unprecedented (in a full frame camera) ability to capture fleeting moments in time continuously.

Being able to view the active scene without blackout allows photographers to precisely track the peak action and recompose seamlessly. This is invaluable for disciplines like sports, wildlife, and news photography, where crucial moments are ephemeral. Never losing sight of the subject ensures capturing more moments.

Achieving up to 120 fps also provides flexibility to either shoot faster than ever before or to distribute the burst over a longer duration. Having the leeway to spread the burst over three-plus seconds thanks to the large buffer makes it easier to capture an entire passage of activity. Sony was smart not to limit that fast burst rate with a small buffer. The combination of extraordinary speed, uninterrupted live view, and rapid focus tracking gives an edge for capturing decisive moments. In addition, Sony has added pre-capture technology popularized by OM System, settable from .005 seconds to 1 second, making it easier to capture the right moment. 

A New Generation of Imaging

Sony’s remarkable engineering achievement lays the foundation for a new generation of imaging technology. The unprecedented speed, flash control, and distortion-free output made possible by the electronic global shutter are a watershed moment for photography. Unexplored creative possibilities lie ahead as professionals exploit these new capabilities. Sony has overcome a major barrier, one that has been the holy grail of photography for at least a decade now.

Dynamic Range Limitations

There is one limitation worth mentioning: dynamic range. Global shutters generally have reduced dynamic range, and that is the case here, with the camera's minimum ISO being an unusual 250, topping out at 25,600. Given the sensor's 24.6-megapixel resolution, I don't expect noise to be a major issue, but it's worth noting, especially since those fastest shutter speed might necessitate higher ISOs in many situations. That being said, now that we have a working consumer-level full frame global shutter, I'd expect dynamic range to improve in subsequent generations.

Sony also incorporated what they're calling "Composite Raw Shooting," which combines, 4, 8, 16, or 32 raw images to reduce noise. While this might not be an option for fast action, given the camera's insane burst rate, it might be usable for more situations than one might think. Sony even says the mode "makes it possible to shoot wildlife at high shutter speeds or portraits in low light, achieving exceptionally high image quality with low noise, even at higher ISO settings."

Reasonable Price

Sure, you might be thinking that I'm insane for calling a $6,000 camera reasonable, but look at the competition. The Nikon Z9 costs $5,499 and does offer about double the resolution, should you need it. The Canon EOS R3's advantage is that it's about $1,000 cheaper. You know what both of those cameras don't have, though? A global shutter. That's arguably worth $1,000. 

Summary

In summary, this revolutionary electronic global shutter represents a momentous leap for the industry, and it puts major pressure on Canon and Nikon. Given the Canon EOS R1 is likely already in the hands of select photographers for testing, its sensor is probably already set in stone, so it will be quite interesting to see if we see a global shutter in the camera. Either way, this is a major day in history for camera technology. 

The Sony a9 III will be available for preorder tomorrow, November 8.