Rumors solidified about a “real” Sony A9 upgrade coming in January that will include 8K video resolution capabilities. That implies a sensor resolution of at least 45 megapixels. It would double the throughput from the current A9 Mark II, the pro level body upgrade from last year that failed to improve its sensor and most other specs.
The would-be Mark III would have flagship specs very similar to that of the July-released Canon EOS R5. It will likely use a similar form factor, as the A9 Mark II sports a more “human,” rounded shape in a non-gripped form factor. Rumors suggest a roughly $5,000 price, an increase from previous models and a level higher than the Canon’s highest-end mirrorless camera.
Camera forum dwellers speculated about an A9 upgrade coming, with an Olympics scheduled in Japan. Both Canon and Sony tend to release new flagship models prior to summer Olympic events.
The R5 has left relatively little to be improved for a 1-series mirrorless launch, aside from the gripped form factor. The R5 has two grip options, one including the latest in obscure networking capabilities, although that grip does cause some frames-per-second limitations in some instances. Another potential area of improvement could be a thermal design that allowed for longer high-bitrate video recording. Pros and amateurs alike would welcome battery performance improvements as well.
A new Sony offering could be more significantly improved in key specs, such as resolution, video capabilities, upgrading the A9 Mark II’s older menu interface, and interface and performance improvements with flash triggering.