Sony E-mount

Sony α7 E-mount obscuring the sensor
Type	Bayonet
Inner diameter	46.1 mm
Flange	18 mm
Introduced	2011

TheE-mount is alens mount designed bySony for their NEX ("New E-mount eXperience"^[1]) andILCE series ofcamcorders andmirrorless cameras.^[2] The E-mount supplements Sony'sα mount, allowing the company to develop more compact imaging devices while maintaining vignetting with 35mm sensors. E-mount achieves this by:

• Minimising mechanical complexity, removing mechanicalaperture andfocus drive.
• Shortening theflange focal distance to 18 mm compared with earlier offerings from Sony which used 44.5 mm.
• Reducing the radius of the flange.
• Relying on software to correct vignetting

The short flange focal distance prohibits the use of an opticalviewfinder, as a mirror box mechanism cannot be included in this reduced distance. Therefore, all E-mount cameras use anelectronic viewfinder.

Initially, E-mount was implemented on theSony αNEX-3 andNEX-5 consumer-targeted devices withAPS-C sized sensors.^[3] E-mount integration into Sonycamcorder products was provided with the Sony HandycamNEX-VG10.^[4] On 24 August 2011, new products were announced, specifically theNEX-5N as a successor for the NEX-5, and theNEX-7 as a prosumer product,^[5] as well as theNEX-VG20 as the successor to the NEX-VG10. The Sony E-mount was brought to the 35 mm video camera market with theSony NEX-FS100.^[6]

The first third-party camera to use the E-mount was theHasselblad Lunar, announced atPhotokina on 18 September 2012 and released in early 2013.^[7][8]

In September 2013, Sony announced the first model from newILCE series, theSony α3000. In October 2013, the first models withfull-frame sensor size were released, theSony α7 andSony α7R. On 19 April 2017, Sony revealed their new model Model ILCE-9, theSony α9, characterized as a professionalmirrorless camera system.

In September 2017, Sony revealed its VENICE high-end digital cinema camera, which records in 6K 16-bitraw format.

The following table is a list of Sony E-mount cameras and their specifications.

On 8 February 2011, Sony announced the release of the specifications for the E-mount lens system, allowing for third-party lens makers to create lenses for NEX cameras without having to payroyalties. The mount specifications have been released to registered parties since April 2011.^[13] Getting a license for the specifications requires approval by Sony and the signing of anon-disclosure agreement.^[14]

The construction of full-frame manual focusprime lenses without any electronics is relatively easier and less costly than the construction of electronic full-frameautofocus lenses of any kind. This has encouraged lesser known lens companies to construct full-frame prime lenses with an E-mount. Numerous affordable sharp full-format manual prime lenses with bigapertures are available with an E-mount.

• Yongnuo^[15]
• 7Artisans
• Anhui ChangGeng Optical Technology Company
• AstrHori
• Carl Zeiss AG
• Cosina Co., Ltd.
• Handevision
• Irix Lens
• Samyang Optics / Rokinon
• Sigma Corporation
• SIRUI Lens /Astra FF Anamorphic/Aurora FF AF/Nightwalker MF CINE/Sniper AF APS-C/Saturn FF Anamorphic/Venus FF Anamorphic/Jupiter Macro Cine
• Shenyang Zhongyi Optical and Electronic Company (ZY Optics)^[16]
• Shenzhen Neewer
• SLR Magic
• Tamron Co., Ltd.
• Tokina
• TTArtisan
• Venus Optics
• Viltrox
• Voigtländer
• Yasuhara^[17]
• Zunow

Due to the shortflange focal distance of the Sony E-mount, many lenses can be adapted to be used on the Sony E-mount, although a crop factor will have to be taken into account for all cameras with APS-C or Super-35mm sensor format. Additionally, with the introduction of in-cameraimage stabilization to Sony's newer mirrorless cameras, any adapted lens (regardless of age, brand, or lens mount) can be image stabilized.

Nearly all manual lenses can be attached with simple ring-like adapters to Sony's mirrorless cameras, such as forCanon FD,Minolta MC/MD,Leica M, and many others. Manual focus lenses that transmitExif data will require an adapter with electronic contacts, which are generally more expensive to produce.

Adapting autofocus lenses to Sony's older E-mount cameras (such as theSony α6000 andα7) can often be ineffective due to the inability of the camera body to effectively lock-on to a subject, resulting in eitherhunting or missed focus. This has largely been remedied in recent years with improved lens adapter performance, as well as the introduction of faster, more accurate autofocusing systems to Sony's more recent cameras (such as theSony α6500 andSony α9).

Most A-mount lenses can be used via the Sony LA-EA1,^[18] LA-EA2, LA-EA3, LA-EA4, or LA-EA5 mount adapters, which provide electronic contacts and mechanical aperture control. They allow the camera body to control the aperture of the lens and provide automatic exposure and Exif data support.

• LA-EA1: APS-C format only; originally only an autoexposure adapter, but a firmware update allows it to autofocus lenses with AF motors (SSM and SAM); most screw driven lenses can be used with manual focus^[19]
• LA-EA2: APS-C format only; supports phase-detection autofocus with most A-mount lenses. the translucent-mirror directs 30% of the light to the dedicated AF sensor.
• LA-EA3: full-frame format compatible; autofocuses lenses with AF motors (SSM and SAM); most screw driven lenses can be used with manual focus
• LA-EA4: full-frame format compatible; supports phase-detection autofocus with most A-mount lenses. the translucent-mirror directs 30% of the light to the dedicated AF sensor.^[20]
• LA-EA5: full-frame format compatible; autofocuses most A-mount lenses; screw driven lenses only with newer camera bodies

Non Alpha mount Minolta lenses will not mount on these adapters. Alpha mount Power Zoom/Xi lenses are also not supported. The LA-EA2 and LA-EA4 adapters have fifteen phase-detect AF points, the center three points are cross type.^[21] Its tripod mount isn't detachable. During movie mode, the adapter doesn't permit the change of aperture.^[22] The translucent-mirror SLT design,^[23] which requires apellicle mirror in the light path, causes 1/3 of the light to be reflected to the autofocus sensor.^[24] The 1/3 light fall-off equals 1/2 stop and may decrease the image quality accordingly when available light is a limiting factor.^[25]

Techart offers a unique autofocusing adapter, having a motor that moves the adapter flange along optical axis. It has Leica M-mount on the lens side, but via stacking additional adapter almost any SLR lens can be mounted.^{[26][27][28][29]}

Released at the end of 2019, this lens adapter allows for the mounting of aB4-mount-lens with electronic connection.

• LA-EB1: Super 16 format only

The following lens mounts can be used on the Sony E-mount with the use of various adapters available from third parties:^[30]

• Alpha mount
• Sony A-mount (Sony LA-EA1, LA-EA2, LA-EA3, LA-EA4, LA-EA5 with AF and electronic aperture control, 3rd part adapters with aperture ring)
• BNCR mount
• C-mount
• Canon EF andCanon EF-S (Sigma MC-11 EF-E and other adapters with AF and electronic aperture control, "dumb" adapter variant with tilt available)
• Canon FD
• Contax G
• Contax N
• Contarex
• Contax/Yashica (C/Y) bayonet (an adapter variant with tilt is also available)
• Exakta lens mount
• Fujica X bayonet
• Hasselblad Xpan
• Konica AR (bayonet)
• Leica M-mount (bayonet) (adapter with back focusing AF available)
• LeicaM39 lens mount (LTM/L39) (screw)
• Leica R-mount (adapter variant with tilt available)
• M42-mount (screw) (adapter variant with tilt available)
• Micro Four Thirds
• Minolta SR-mount (MD/MC)
• Minolta/Konica Minolta A-mount (Minolta/Konica Minolta AF/α/Dynax/Maxxum and Sony α DSLRs) (Sony LA-EA1, LA-EA2, LA-EA3, LA-EA4 with AF and electronic aperture control, and third-party adapters with aperture ring)
• Nikon F-mount (with AF and electronic aperture control, adapter variant with aperture ring for G lenses available, adapter variant with tilt available)
• Olympus OM-mount (adapter variant with tilt available)
• Olympus Pen F
• Pentax Auto 110
• Pentax K-mount (adapter variant with aperture ring for DA lenses available)
• PL mount
• Rollei-mount
• Sigma SA-mount (Sigma MC-11 SA-E with AF and electronic aperture control)
• T2-mount (screw)
• Sirui (Astra 1.33X Auto AF 50mm+75mm+100MM Anamorphic Cine Lens)

Afocal reducer is a device which inserts between main lens and camera and shrinks image circle while simultaneously increasing the f-stop of the lens. The downside is that only lenses from other systems with longer flange distance are accepted. Native E-mount lenses are not supported.

• Metabones Speed Booster, from full-frame SLR to APS-C, 0.71x
• Metabones Speed Booster Ultra, from full-frame SLR to APS-C, 0.71x
• Zhongyi Lens Turbo, from full-from frame SLR to APS-C, 0.71x
• Kipon Baveyes Ultra 0.7x Adapter, from Medium Format SLR to Sony-E full-frame (announced 2016)
• Kipon Baveyes L/M-S/E 0.65x, from Leica M-mount to Sony APS-C (announced 2016)

• List of Sony E-mount cameras
• List of Sony E-mount lenses
• List of third-party Sony E-mount lenses

• Lens mounts
• Sony E-mount cameras
• Camera lenses introduced in 2010
• Japanese inventions

• CS1 Japanese-language sources (ja)
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