Sony E mount
Encyclopedia
The E-mount is a lens mount
with basic open specification designed by Sony
for their New E-mount Experience (NEX) series of camcorder
s and mirrorless camera
s.
Initially this mount is implemented in Sony Alpha NEX-3 and NEX-5
. E-mount integration into Sony camcorder
products is 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, the NEX-7 as a prosumer product, as well as the NEX-VG20 as the successor to the NEX-VG10. The successor to the NEX-3 named NEX-C3 was released a few weeks earlier.
Sony's own roadmap promises three further lenses in 2012: a high-performance "G" standard zoom lens, a wide-angle zoom lens and a mid-telephoto lens.
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 the NEX cameras without having to pay royalties. The mount specifications have been released to registered parties meanwhile.
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 most of the time, since all current cameras available in this mount are APS-C only.
Minolta, Konica Minolta and Sony A-mount lenses can be used via the Sony LA-EA1 and LA-EA2 camera mount adapters which provide electronic contacts and electro-mechanical diaphragm control. They allow the body to control the aperture of the lens and provide automatic exposure and Exif data support. The LA-EA1 adds slow (2–7 seconds) contrast autofocus with SSM and SAM lenses, other lenses can be used with manual focus. Older samples of the LA-EA1, NEX-3 and NEX-5 require a firmware update for this to work. The LA-EA2 adapter supports fast phase-detection autofocus with all A-mount lenses, including screw-driven AF lenses. However, its translucent-mirror design requires an optical element in the light path and thus causes a light fall-off of about 30% for the autofocus to work. Also, it slightly decreases image quality. The LA-EA1 does not need an optical element in the light path and thus will not change image quality in any way. Both adapters are designed to cover the APS-C format only.
The following lens mounts can be used on the Sony E-mount with the use of various adapters available from third-parties:
Lens mount
A lens mount is an interface — mechanical and often also electrical — between a photographic camera body and a lens. It is confined to cameras where the body allows interchangeable lenses, most usually the single lens reflex type or any movie camera of 16 mm or higher gauge...
with basic open specification designed by Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
for their New E-mount Experience (NEX) series of camcorder
Camcorder
A camcorder is an electronic device that combines a video camera and a video recorder into one unit. Equipment manufacturers do not seem to have strict guidelines for the term usage...
s and mirrorless camera
Mirrorless interchangeable lens camera
A mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera is an emerging class of digital system cameras, intermediate between compact digital cameras and digital single-lens reflex cameras . They are characterized by a no-mirror design and an interchangeable lens mount...
s.
Initially this mount is implemented in Sony Alpha NEX-3 and NEX-5
Sony NEX-5
The Sony NEX-5 is a digital camera launched on 11 May 2010 . It is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera with the body of a common point-and-shoot camera but with the sensor size and features of an APS-C-sized digital single-lens reflex camera...
. E-mount integration into Sony camcorder
Camcorder
A camcorder is an electronic device that combines a video camera and a video recorder into one unit. Equipment manufacturers do not seem to have strict guidelines for the term usage...
products is provided with the Sony Handycam NEX-VG10
Sony Handycam NEX-VG10
The Sony Handycam NEX-VG10 is a large sensor interchangeable-lens video camera made and distributed by Sony. It uses Sony E-mount camera lenses that were first used on the Sony NEX-3 and Sony NEX-5. It is capable of shooting in 1920×1080 full high definition using a large APS-C sensor. The video...
. On 24 August 2011 new products were announced, specifically the NEX-5N as a successor for the NEX-5, the NEX-7 as a prosumer product, as well as the NEX-VG20 as the successor to the NEX-VG10. The successor to the NEX-3 named NEX-C3 was released a few weeks earlier.
Available bodies
| Name | Model | Code | System | Mount | Format | Sensor | Firmware | User level | Announce date | Release date | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interchangeable lens compact digital camera Mirrorless interchangeable lens camera A mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera is an emerging class of digital system cameras, intermediate between compact digital cameras and digital single-lens reflex cameras . They are characterized by a no-mirror design and an interchangeable lens mount... |
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| NEX-3 | NEX-3 (with Eye-Fi), NEX-3C (without Eye-Fi) | CX75210 | Alpha (α) | E-mount | APS-C APS-C Advanced Photo System type-C is an image sensor format approximately equivalent in size to the Advanced Photo System "classic" size negatives... , 23.4×15.6mm (1.5×) |
CMOS, Exmor, 14.2 MP | 4 | Entry level | 2010-02-21, 2010-05-11 | June 2010 | Discontinued |
| NEX-5 Sony NEX-5 The Sony NEX-5 is a digital camera launched on 11 May 2010 . It is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera with the body of a common point-and-shoot camera but with the sensor size and features of an APS-C-sized digital single-lens reflex camera... |
NEX-5 (with Eye-Fi), NEX-5C (without Eye-Fi) | CX75110, CX75121, CX75141 | Alpha (α) | E-mount | APS-C, 23.4×15.6mm (1.5×) | CMOS, Exmor, 14.2 MP | 4 | Entry level | 2010-02-21, 2010-05-11 | June 2010 | Discontinued |
| NEX-C3 | NEX-C3 | Alpha (α) | E-mount | APS-C (1.5×) | CMOS, Exmor HD, 16.2 MP | 1 | Entry level | 2011-06-08 | August 2011 | Current | |
| NEX-5N | NEX-5N | Alpha (α) | E-mount | APS-C (1.5×) | CMOS, Exmor HD, 16.2 MP | Entry level | 2011-08-24 | September 2011 | Current | ||
| NEX-7 | NEX-7 | Alpha (α) | E-mount | APS-C, 23.5×15.6mm (1.5×) | CMOS, Exmor HD, 24.3 MP | Midrange | 2011-08-24 | Announced | |||
| Camcorder Camcorder A camcorder is an electronic device that combines a video camera and a video recorder into one unit. Equipment manufacturers do not seem to have strict guidelines for the term usage... |
|||||||||||
| NEX-VG10 Sony Handycam NEX-VG10 The Sony Handycam NEX-VG10 is a large sensor interchangeable-lens video camera made and distributed by Sony. It uses Sony E-mount camera lenses that were first used on the Sony NEX-3 and Sony NEX-5. It is capable of shooting in 1920×1080 full high definition using a large APS-C sensor. The video... |
NEX-VG10E, NEX-VG10A, NEX-VG10J | CX36000, CX36001 | Handycam | E-mount | APS-C, 23.4×15.6mm (1.5×) | CMOS, Exmor HD, 14.2 MP | 2 | Advanced Amateur | 2010-05-11, 2010-07-14 | September 2010 | Discontinued |
| NEX-VG20 | NEX-VG20E, NEX-VG20A, NEX-VG20J | Handycam | E-mount | APS-C, 23.4×15.6mm (1.5×) | CMOS, Exmor HD, 16.1 MP | Advanced Amateur | 2011-08-24 | November 2011 | Announced | ||
| NEX-FS100 | NEX-FS100E, NEX-FS100U, NEX-FS100J | NXCAM | E-mount | Super-35mm, 23.6×13.3mm (1.6×) | CMOS, Exmor HD, 3.5 MP | Semi-Professional | 2010-11-17, 2011-03-23 | July 2011 | Current | ||
Available lenses
- Sony E 2.8/16mm (SEL-16F28, VX9100)
- Sony Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* E 1.8/24mm (SEL-24F18Z) (from December 2011)
- Sony E 3.5/30mm Macro (SEL-30M35) (from June 2011)
- Sony E 1.8/50mm OSS (SEL-50F18) (from December 2011)
- Sony E 3.5-5.6/18-55mm OSS (SEL-1855, VX9101)
- Sony E 3.5-6.3/18-200mm OSS (SEL-18200, VX9103)
- Sony E 4.5-6.3/55-210mm OSS (SEL-55210, VX9102) (from October 2011)
Sony's own roadmap promises three further lenses in 2012: a high-performance "G" standard zoom lens, a wide-angle zoom lens and a mid-telephoto lens.
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 the NEX cameras without having to pay royalties. The mount specifications have been released to registered parties meanwhile.
Third-party lens manufacturers
- Carl Zeiss AG
- Cosina Co., Ltd.Cosinais a designer and manufacturer of cameras and lenses, and a glassmaker, based in Nakano, Nagano Prefecture, Japan.-History:Cosina is the successor to Nikō , a company set up as a manufacturer oflenses in 1959...
- Samyang OpticsSamyang OpticsSamyang Optics Company Limited is a Korean company founded in 1972, manufacturing optical equipment, CCTV and photographic accessories. All Samyang lenses are produced in the company's plant in Masan, South Korea...
- Sigma CorporationSigma Corporationis a Japanese company founded in 1961, manufacturing cameras, lenses, flashes and other photographic accessories. All Sigma products are produced in the company's own Aizu factory in Bandai, Fukushima, Japan...
- Tamron Co., Ltd.Tamronis a Japanese company manufacturing photographic lenses, optical components and commercial/industrial-use optics. Tamron Headquarters is located in Saitama City in the Saitama Prefecture of Japan....
- SLR Magic
Available adapters
Due to the short flange focal distanceFlange focal distance
For an interchangeable lens camera, the flange focal distance of a lens mount system is the distance from the mounting flange to the...
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 most of the time, since all current cameras available in this mount are APS-C only.
Minolta, Konica Minolta and Sony A-mount lenses can be used via the Sony LA-EA1 and LA-EA2 camera mount adapters which provide electronic contacts and electro-mechanical diaphragm control. They allow the body to control the aperture of the lens and provide automatic exposure and Exif data support. The LA-EA1 adds slow (2–7 seconds) contrast autofocus with SSM and SAM lenses, other lenses can be used with manual focus. Older samples of the LA-EA1, NEX-3 and NEX-5 require a firmware update for this to work. The LA-EA2 adapter supports fast phase-detection autofocus with all A-mount lenses, including screw-driven AF lenses. However, its translucent-mirror design requires an optical element in the light path and thus causes a light fall-off of about 30% for the autofocus to work. Also, it slightly decreases image quality. The LA-EA1 does not need an optical element in the light path and thus will not change image quality in any way. Both adapters are designed to cover the APS-C format only.
The following lens mounts can be used on the Sony E-mount with the use of various adapters available from third-parties:
- Alpa mountAlpaAlpa was formerly a Swiss camera design company and manufacturer of 35 mm SLR cameras. The current owners bought the company name after bankruptcy of the original company and the company exists today as a designer and manufacturer of high-end medium-format cameras.-History:Alpa was an offshoot of...
- Sony A-mount (Sony LA-EA1, LA-EA2 and 3rd part adapters with aperture ring)
- C-mount
- Canon EFCanon EF lens mountIntroduced in 1987, the EF lens mount is the standard lens mount on the Canon EOS family of SLR film and digital cameras. EF stands for "Electro-Focus": automatic focusing on EF lenses is handled by a dedicated electric motor built into the lens...
and Canon EF-S - Canon FD-mount
- Contax GContax GThe Contax G1 and Contax G2 are interchangeable-lens cameras sold by Kyocera under the Contax brand in competition with the Leica M7, Voigtlander Bessa R, and Konica Hexar RF. The G1 was introduced in 1994 with the G2 joining it in 1996...
- ContarexContarexZeiss Ikon was the result of several German lens and camera manufacturers joining forces in 1926 to survive the depression in Germany during the 1920s...
- Contax/Yashica bayonet (adapter variant with tilt available)
- ExaktaExaktaThe Exakta is a pioneer brand camera produced by the Ihagee Kamerawerk in Dresden, Germany, founded as the Industrie und Handels-Gesellschaft mbH, in 1912.- Characteristics :Highlights of Exakta cameras include:...
lens mount - Fujica X bayonetFujica X bayonetThe Fujica X mount was a lens mount created by Fujifilm in the late 1970s for the new Fujica SLR lineup : AX-1, AX3, AX-5, STX-1, STX-1N, STX-2. It replaced the old M42 screw mount used on their earlier SLRs....
- Hasselblad Xpan
- Konica AR (bayonet)
- Leica M-mountLeica M mountThe Leica M mount is a camera lens mount introduced in 1954 with the Leica M3, and a range of lenses. It has been on all the Leica M series up to the current film Leica M7 and digital Leica M9....
(bayonet) - Leica M39 lens mountM39 lens mountThe M39 lens mount is a screw thread mounting system for attaching lenses to 35 mm cameras, primarily rangefinder Leicas. It is also the most common mount for Photographic enlarger lenses....
(LTM/L39) (screw) - Leica R-mount (adapter variant with tilt available)
- M42M42 lens mountThe M42 lens mount is a screw thread mounting standard for attaching lenses to 35 mm cameras, primarily single-lens reflex models. It is more accurately known as the M42 × 1 mm standard, which means that it is a metric screw thread of 42 mm diameter and 1 mm thread pitch...
-mount (screw) (adapter variant with tilt available) - Micro Four Thirds
- Minolta SR-mount
- Minolta/Konica Minolta A-mountMinolta AFThe Minolta Alpha camera system was a collection of photographic equipment from Minolta. The system used a lens mount called A-mount, with a flange focal distance 44.50 mm. The new mount was larger than the older SR-mount making old manual lenses incompatible with the new system...
(Minolta/Konica Minolta AF/Alpha/Dynax/Maxxum and Sony Alpha DSLRs) (Sony LA-EA1, LA-EA2 and 3rd party adapters with aperture ring) - Nikon F-mountNikon F-mountThe Nikon F-mount is a type of interchangeable lens mount developed by Nikon for its 35 mm SLR cameras. The F-mount was first introduced on the Nikon F camera in 1959, and features a three lug bayonet mount with a 44 mm throat and a flange to focal plane distance of 46.5 mm...
(adapter variant with aperture ring for G lenses available, adapter variant with tilt available) - Olympus OM-mount
- Olympus Pen FOlympus Pen FThe Olympus Pen F, Pen FT and Pen FV were very similar half-frame 35 mm single-lens reflex cameras with interchangeable lenses produced by Olympus of Japan between 1963-1966 , 1966-1972 and 1967-1970...
- Pentax Auto 110Pentax Auto 110The Pentax Auto 110 and Pentax Auto 110 Super are single-lens reflex cameras made by Asahi Pentax that use Kodak's 110 film cartridge. The Auto 110 was introduced with three interchangeable lenses in 1978. Three more lenses were introduced in 1981, and then the Super model was released in 1982....
- Pentax K-mount (adapter variant with aperture ring for DA lenses available)
- RolleiRolleiRollei is a German manufacturer of optical goods founded in 1920 by Paul Franke and Reinhold Heidecke in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony, and maker of the Rolleiflex and Rolleicord series of cameras...
-mount - T2T-mountT-mount is a standard lens mount for cameras and other optical assemblies.The T2 version is a screw mount using a male M42x0.75 metric thread on the lens with a flange focal distance of 55 mm, and a mating female thread on a camera adapter or other optical component. This thread form is referred...
-mount (screw)
Comparison with similar lens mounts
| Maker | Mount | Flange focal distance Flange focal distance For an interchangeable lens camera, the flange focal distance of a lens mount system is the distance from the mounting flange to the... (mm) |
Outer diameter (mm) |
Frame size (mm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sony | E-mount | 18 | 23.4×15.6 | |
| Samsung Samsung The Samsung Group is a South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea... |
NX-mount | 42 | 23.4×15.6 | |
| Panasonic Panasonic Panasonic is an international brand name for Japanese electric products manufacturer Panasonic Corporation, which was formerly known as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd... /Olympus Olympus Corporation is a Japan-based manufacturer of optics and reprography products. Olympus was established on 12 October 1919, initially specializing in microscope and thermometer businesses. Its global headquarters are in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan, while its USA operations are based in Center Valley, Pennsylvania,... |
μ4/3 Micro Four Thirds system The Micro Four Thirds system is a standard created by Olympus and Panasonic, and announced on August 5, 2008, for mirrorless interchangeable lens digital cameras and camcorders design and development... |
20 | 44 | 17.3×13 |