Sony Alpha ILCE-7 (A7) full-frame camera no body cap

The E-mount is a

lens mount A lens mount is an interface – mechanical and often also electrical – between a photographic camera body and a lens. It is a feature of camera systems where the body allows interchangeable lenses, most usually the rangefinder camera, sin ...

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

for their NEX ("New E-mount eXperience") and ILCE series of

camcorder A camcorder is a self-contained portable electronic device with video and recording as its primary function. It is typically equipped with an articulating screen mounted on the left side, a belt to facilitate holding on the right side, hot-sw ...

s and

mirrorless camera A mirrorless camera is a photo camera featuring a single, removable lens and a digital display. The camera does not have a reflex mirror or optical viewfinder like a digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera, but may have an electronic v ...

s. The E-mount supplements Sony's α mount, allowing the company to develop more compact imaging devices while maintaining compatibility with 35mm sensors. E-mount achieves this by: * Minimising mechanical complexity, removing mechanical

aperture In optics, an aperture is a hole or an opening through which light travels. More specifically, the aperture and focal length of an optical system determine the cone angle of a bundle of rays that come to a focus in the image plane. An ...

and focus drive. * Shortening the

flange focal distance For an interchangeable lens camera, the flange focal distance (FFD) (also known as the flange-to-film distance, flange focal depth, flange back distance (FBD), flange focal length (FFL), back focus or register, depending on the usage and source ...

to 18 mm compared with earlier offerings from Sony which used 44.5 mm. * Reducing the radius of the flange. The short flange focal distance prohibits the use of an optical

viewfinder In photography, a viewfinder is what the photographer looks through to compose, and, in many cases, to focus the picture. Most viewfinders are separate, and suffer parallax, while the single-lens reflex camera lets the viewfinder use the main ...

, as a mirror box mechanism cannot be included in this reduced distance. Therefore all E-mount cameras use an

electronic viewfinder An electronic viewfinder (EVF) is a camera viewfinder where the image captured by the lens is displayed on a small screen (usually LCD or OLED) which the photographer can look through when composing their shot. It differs from a live preview ...

History

Initially, E-mount was implemented on the Sony α

NEX-3 The Sony α NEX-5 is a digital camera launched on 11 May 2010. It is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera with the body size of a larger model fairly compact point-and-shoot camera with a larger sensor size (APS-C) comparable to that of some d ...

and NEX-5 consumer-targeted devices with

APS-C Advanced Photo System type-C (APS-C) is an image sensor format approximately equivalent in size to the Advanced Photo System film negative in its C ("Classic") format, of 25.1×16.7 mm, an aspect ratio of 3:2 and Ø 31.15 mm field ...

sized sensors. E-mount integration into Sony

products was provided with the Sony Handycam NEX-VG10. On 24 August 2011, new products were announced, specifically the NEX-5N as a successor for the NEX-5, and the NEX-7 as a prosumer product, as well as the NEX-VG20 as the successor to the NEX-VG10. The Sony E-mount was brought to the 35 mm video camera market with the Sony NEX-FS100. The first third-party camera to use the E-mount was the

Hasselblad Lunar The Sony α NEX-7 is a digital camera announced 24 August 2011 by Sony. It is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera and as such inherits a smaller body form factor than a traditional digital single-lens reflex camera, while still retaining the ...

, announced at

Photokina Photokina (rendered in the promoters' branding as "photokina") is a trade fair held in Europe for the photographic and imaging industries. It is the world's largest such trade fair. The first Photokina was held in Cologne, Germany, in 1950, a ...

on 18 September 2012 and released in early 2013. In September 2013, Sony announced the first model from new ILCE series, the

Sony α3000 The Sony α3000 (model ILCE-3000) is a DSLR-styled mirrorless camera announced by Sony on 27 August 2013. Sony α3000 comes with a newly developed APS-C Exmor sensor, ISO ranges touches 100–16000, Full HD at 60 fps. This was the first camer ...

. In October 2013, the first models with full-frame sensor size were released, the Sony α7 and

Sony α7R , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

. On 19 April 2017, Sony revealed their new model Model ILCE-9, the Sony α9, characterized as a professional

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

Available bodies

List of Sony E-mount cameras:

Available lenses

Third-party lens manufacturers

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 pay

royalties A royalty payment is a payment made by one party to another that owns a particular asset, for the right to ongoing use of that asset. Royalties are typically agreed upon as a percentage of gross or net revenues derived from the use of an asset o ...

. The mount specifications have been released to registered parties since April 2011. Getting a license for the specifications requires approval by Sony and the signing of a

non-disclosure agreement A non-disclosure agreement (NDA) is a legal contract or part of a contract between at least two parties that outlines confidential material, knowledge, or information that the parties wish to share with one another for certain purposes, but wis ...

. The construction of full-frame manual focus prime lenses without any electronics is relatively easier and less costly than the construction of electronic full-frame autofocus 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 big

s are available with an E-mount.

List of manufacturers of third-party lenses

* Yongnuo * 7Artisans * Anhui ChangGeng Optical Technology Company * AstrHori *

Carl Zeiss AG Carl Zeiss AG (), branded as ZEISS, is a German manufacturer of optical systems and optoelectronics, founded in Jena, Germany in 1846 by optician Carl Zeiss. Together with Ernst Abbe (joined 1866) and Otto Schott (joined 1884) he laid th ...

* Cosina Co., Ltd. * Handevision * Irix Lens * Samyang Optics / Rokinon *

Sigma Corporation is a Japanese company, manufacturing cameras, lenses, flashes and other photographic accessories. All Sigma products are produced in the company's own Aizu factory in Bandai, Fukushima, Japan. Although Sigma produces several camera models ...

* Shenyang Zhongyi Optical and Electronic Company (ZY Optics) * Shenzhen Neewer * SLR Magic * Tamron Co., Ltd. *

Tokina is a Japanese manufacturer of photographic lenses and CCTV security equipment. Lens designations * FX - Full frame * DX - cropped digital * AF - Auto-Focus * AT-X Pro - professional line (constant aperture zooms or primes) * AT-X - consumer lin ...

* TTArtisan *

Venus Optics Venus Optics (Anhui ChangGeng Optics Technology Co., Ltd.) is a Chinese manufacturer of photographic lenses, specialized in the design of innovative macro, wide angle, shift and f/0.95 lenses. Headquarters and production are in Hefei, while s ...

* Viltrox * Voigtländer * Yasuhara * Zunow

Adapting lenses to Sony E-mount

Due to the short

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-camera

image stabilization Image stabilization (IS) is a family of techniques that reduce blurring associated with the motion of a camera or other imaging device during exposure. Generally, it compensates for pan and tilt (angular movement, equivalent to yaw and pit ...

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 for

Canon FD The Canon FD lens mount is a physical standard for connecting a photographic lens to a 35mm single-lens reflex camera body. The standard was developed by Canon of Japan and was introduced in March 1971 with the Canon F-1 camera. It served as th ...

, Minolta MC/MD,

Leica M The Leica M mount is a camera lens mount introduced in 1954 with the Leica M3, and a range of lenses. It has been used on all the Leica M-series cameras and certain accessories (e.g. Visoflex reflex viewing attachment) up to the current film L ...

, and many others. Manual focus lenses that transmit

Exif Exchangeable image file format (officially Exif, according to JEIDA/JEITA/CIPA specifications) is a standard that specifies formats for images, sound, and ancillary tags used by digital cameras (including smartphones), scanners and other syste ...

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 the Sony α6000 and α7) can often be ineffective due to the inability of the camera body to effectively lock-on to a subject, resulting in either

hunting Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

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 the Sony α6500 and Sony α9).

Sony LA-EA adapters

Most A-mount lenses can be used via the Sony LA-EA1, 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 a 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 * 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. *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. Its tripod mount isn't detachable. During movie mode, the adapter doesn't permit the change of aperture. The translucent-mirror SLT design, which requires a pellicle mirror in the light path, causes 1/3 of the light to be reflected to the autofocus sensor. The 1/3 light fall-off equals 1/2 stop and may decrease the image quality accordingly when available light is a limiting factor. 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.

Sony LA-EB adapters

Released at the end of 2019, this lens adapter allows for the mounting of a

B4-mount The B4 lens mount was standardized in 1992 by the Broadcasting Technology Association (BTA) and is defined in BTA S-1005. This standard defines the physical mount, but also optical properties and some electrical connections. The B4 mount defines ...

-lens with electronic connection. * LA-EB1: Super 16 format only

List of adaptable lens mounts

The following lens mounts can be used on the Sony E-mount with the use of various adapters available from third parties: * Alpha mount *

Sony A-mount , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

(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 A C mount is a type of lens mount commonly found on 16 mm movie cameras, closed-circuit television cameras, machine vision cameras and microscope phototubes. C-mount lenses provide a male thread, which mates with a female thread on the camera. ...

* Canon EF and Canon EF-S ( Sigma MC-11 EF-E and other adapters with AF and electronic aperture control, "dumb" adapter variant with tilt available) *

* Contax G *Contax N * Contarex *Contax/Yashica (C/Y) bayonet (an adapter variant with tilt is also available) * Exakta lens mount *

Fujica X bayonet The Fujica X-mount was a lens mount created by Fujifilm in the late 1970s and early 1980s for the new Fujica SLR lineup: AX-1, AX-3, AX-5, AX Multi, STX-1, STX-1N, STX-2, MPF105X, MPF105XN. It replaced the M42 screw mount used on their earlier ...

*Hasselblad Xpan * Konica AR (bayonet) * Leica M-mount (bayonet) (adapter with back focusing AF available) *Leica M39 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 The Pentax Auto 110 and Pentax Auto 110 Super were fully automatic single-lens reflex cameras manufactured by Asahi Pentax for use with Kodak 110 film cartridges. The Auto 110 was introduced with three interchangeable, fixed focal length lenses i ...

Pentax K-mount The Pentax K-mount, sometimes referred to as the "PK-mount", is a bayonet lens mount standard for mounting interchangeable photographic lenses to 35 mm single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras. It was created by Pentax in 1975, and has since be ...

(adapter variant with aperture ring for DA lenses available) *

PL mount The Arri Group () is a German manufacturer of motion picture film equipment. Based in Munich, the company was founded in 1917. It produces professional motion picture cameras, lenses, lighting and post-production equipment. Hermann Simon menti ...

Rollei Rollei () was a German manufacturer of optical instruments founded in 1920 by and in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony, and maker of the Rolleiflex and Rolleicord series of cameras. Later products included specialty and nostalgic type films for the ...

-mount *

Sigma SA-mount The Sigma SA-mount is a lens mount by the Sigma Corporation of Japan for use on their autofocus single-lens reflex and mirrorless cameras. It was introduced with the '' SA-300'' in 1992. Originally, the SA-mount was a dual-bayonet mount with inner ...

( Sigma MC-11 SA-E with AF and electronic aperture control) * T2-mount (screw)

List of Sony E-mount adapters with a focal reducer

A focal 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)

Comparison with similar lens mounts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sony E-mount Lens mounts Camera lenses introduced in 2010 Japanese inventions