vs
Sony SLT-A99

81

Sony SLT-A99
Runner-up
     
 

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Screen size
 Large screen
3.2"
Light sensitivity
 High ISO
25,600 ISO
Sensor size
 Large sensor
Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
Viewfinder
 Great viewfinder
Pentaprism
 

Reasons to buy the Sony SLT-A99

Overall image quality
 Great image quality
89.0
Color depth
 Great color depth
25 bits
Dynamic range
 Wide dynamic range
14 EV
Screen resolution
 High resolution screen
1,229k dots
 
Differences | Recommendations | Cast your vote | Similarities | Competitors | Appearance | Discussion

differences

Advantages of the Canon 5D Mark III

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Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO 2,293 ISO vs 1,555 ISO
Help
 The 5D Mark III has a slight edge (0.6 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Cross type focus points Many more cross-type focus points 41 vs 11
Help
 Grab focus in difficult situations
Viewfinder Has an optical viewfinder Pentaprism vs Digital
Help
 Optical viewfinders save battery life and are more detailed
Screen size Significantly larger screen 3.2" vs 3.0"
Help
 Around 10% larger screen
Focus points Many more focus points 61 vs 19
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Lens availability More lenses available 156 lenses vs 123 lenses
Help
 Around 30% more lenses available
Battery life Longer battery life 950 shots vs 500 shots
Help
 90% more shots per battery charge
Startup delay Less startup delay 500 ms vs 700 ms
Help
 Around 30% less delay when turning on
Lowest price Cheaper $249.95 vs $2,298.00
Help
 The best price we've seen is $2,048 cheaper (9.2x less)
Shutter lag Slightly less shutter lag 120 ms vs 127 ms
Help
 Around 10% less delay when taking photos
Thickness Thinner 3" vs 3.1"
Help
 Almost the same
Canon EOS 5D Mark III Learn more about
the Canon 5D Mark III

Advantages of the Sony SLT-A99

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Dynamic range More dynamic range 14 EV vs 11.7 EV
Help
 2.3 f-stops more dynamic range
Image stabilization Image stabilization Sensor shift vs None
Help
 Helps eliminate blur caused by small camera movements
Overall image quality Better image quality 89.0 vs 81.0
Help
 Around 10% better image quality
Panorama Can create panoramas in-camera Yes vs No
Help
 Stitches together multiple photos for a wide perspective
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen Yes vs No
Help
 Flip-out screens can be helpful when composing tricky shots or taking movies
Screen resolution Higher resolution screen 1,229k dots vs 1,040k dots
Help
 Around 20% higher resolution screen
GPS Has a GPS Yes vs No
Help
 Automatically geotags your photos when traveling
Color depth Better color depth 25 bits vs 24 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 1 more bits of color
True resolution Higher true resolution 24 MP vs 22.3 MP
Help
 Capture around 10% more detail in your photos
Weight Lighter 812 g vs 950 g
Help
 More than 10% lighter
Size Slightly smaller 147x111x78 mm vs 152x116x76 mm
Help
 Around 10% smaller
Sony SLT-A99 Learn more about
the Sony SLT-A99
vs

recommendations

Which camera do we recommend? Relative to the best recent pro DSLRs, and ignoring price

Snapsort Recommends
Canon EOS 5D Mark III Canon EOS 5D Mark III 90
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        81 Sony SLT-A99 Sony SLT-A99
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          Style
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              similarities

              Compared to recent DSLRs

              Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
              Viewfinder size Above average viewfinder size Help
              0.71x
              Sensor size Large sensors Help
              5D Mark III:Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
              SLT-A99:Full frame 35.8x24.0mm
              Shutter lag Minimal shutter lag Help
              5D Mark III:120 ms
              SLT-A99:127 ms
              Weather sealed Weather sealed Help
              Shoot in extreme weather
              Light sensitivity Very good maximum light sensitivity Help
              25,600 ISO
              Storage slots Multiple storage slots Help
              2
              Viewfinder coverage Above average viewfinder coverage Help
              100%
              Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
              1/8000 of a second
              Built-in flash No built-in flash Help
              Professional
              Built-in focus motor No focus motor Help
              Won't autofocus with all lenses

              Compared to recent pro DSLRs

              Common Strengths Common Weaknesses

              Snapsort is not aware of any interesting strengths shared by these two products.
              Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
              6 fps

              dxomark

              DXOMark

              competitors

              Shared Competitors

              Advantages

              Disadvantages
              Canon EOS 6D

              Canon EOS 6D

              Pro DSLR

              $1,899 body only

              $2,209 - $2,499 with 24-105mm lens
              Thickness Is thinner
              Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
              Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
              Compare the EOS 6D vs the EOS 5D Mark III
              Compare the EOS 6D vs the SLT-A99
              Nikon D800

              Nikon D800

              Pro DSLR

              $2,797 - $3,297 body only

              $3,997 - $4,597 with 24-120mm lens
              Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
              Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
              Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
              Thickness Is thicker
              Compare the D800 vs the EOS 5D Mark III
              Compare the D800 vs the SLT-A99
              Nikon D810

              Nikon D810

              Pro DSLR

              $3,297 body only
              Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
              Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
              Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
              Thickness Is thicker
              Compare the D810 vs the EOS 5D Mark III
              Compare the D810 vs the SLT-A99
              Canon EOS 5D Mark II

              Canon EOS 5D Mark II

              Pro DSLR

              $2,300 body only

              $3,400 with 24-105mm lens
              Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
              Storage slots Has fewer storage slots
              Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the EOS 5D Mark III
              Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the SLT-A99
              Nikon D610

              Nikon D610

              Pro DSLR

              $1,897 body only

              $2,397 - $2,430 with 24-85mm lens
              Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
              Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
              Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
              Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
              Compare the D610 vs the EOS 5D Mark III
              Compare the D610 vs the SLT-A99
              Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4

              Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4

              Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

              $1,698 - $3,298 body only

              $3,820 with 20mm lens
              Movie format Records higher quality movies
              Touch screen Has a touch screen
              Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
              Thickness Is thicker
              Compare the Lumix DMC-GH4 vs the EOS 5D Mark III
              Compare the Lumix DMC-GH4 vs the SLT-A99
              Canon EOS 7D

              Canon EOS 7D

              Pro DSLR

              $999 - $1,399 body only

              $1,299 - $1,699 with 18-135mm lens
              Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
              Lens availability Slightly more lenses available
              Storage slots Has fewer storage slots
              Light sensitivity (boost) Slightly lower boost light sensitivity
              Compare the EOS 7D vs the EOS 5D Mark III
              Compare the EOS 7D vs the SLT-A99

              Canon EOS 5D Mark III Competitors

              Advantages

              Disadvantages

              No significant competitors found that are specific to the Canon EOS 5D Mark III.

              Sony SLT-A99 Competitors

              Advantages

              Disadvantages
              Sony SLT-A77

              Sony SLT A77

              Pro DSLR

              $798 body only

              $1,098 with 18-135mm lens
              3D Takes 3D photos
              Continuous shooting Shoots much faster
              Startup delay Much more startup delay
              Overall image quality Worse image quality
              Compare the SLT A77 vs the SLT-A99

              appearance

              Canon EOS 5D Mark III Sony SLT-A99
              Canon EOS 5D Mark III Sony SLT-A99
              Canon EOS 5D Mark III Sony SLT-A99

              discussion

              Canon EOS 5D Mark III
              EOS 5D Mark III
              Canon

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              Sony SLT-A99
              SLT-A99
              Sony

              Report a correction

              Showing 7 comments

              Phodeo (2:52 PM, April 25, 2014)
              It seems snap sort gives the edge on any camera based on high ISO performance. I'm not sure how else the a99 can have many more advantages, including better image quality and still lose on here.
               
              Ronny... (6:09 PM, January 02, 2014)
              I currently hold A77v and A58K cams this r better, cheaper then nikon, canons cams.... and as what i feel A99 is more more better then mark iii... if u r planning to buy high end cam then go for A99... the pic qlty just amazing on this cam then mark iii... enjoy...
               
              Avatar for Ayaz Ayaz (9:31 AM, June 10, 2013)
              The best part of SONY ALPHA series has not been mentioned which is fast auto-focus in live view and movie recording...apart from that it also has a unique peaking level option which assists in manual focusing as well. A99 has multi-frame noise reduction which is not available in Mark iii
               
              Avatar for Benjamin Rodriguez Benjamin Rodriguez (5:56 AM, March 11, 2013)
              This comparisons are ALL inaccurate and unreliable. Anyone seriously interested should go to a site where humans do the reviews, or for simple specs comparisons, look up the specs themselves.
               
              Avatar for Benjamin Rodriguez Benjamin Rodriguez (5:55 AM, March 11, 2013)
              There is none
               
              jorge (0:53 AM, November 29, 2012)
              Where the hell is the built in flash on a a99
               
              Avatar for AStarbucks AStarbucks (7:16 AM, November 22, 2012)
              Why is it that the world beating 0.05s (or 50ms) shutter lag of the A99 is not listed? That's less than half that of the 5D Mk III and even beats the 1DX (although you can reduce it to 36ms thru its custom functions).

              The A99 uses an electronic front curtain to achieve it, similar to the top of the line Canon 1DX.

              The even greater irony is that in Snapsort's comparison between the 5D Mk III & the D800 (204 ms), the former was rated as significantly better even though its 120ms!