This video tries to explain the difference between all the lenses that have been made to date for Sony still cameras: NEX 2010-2011, Sony E-mount from 2011- present, and A-Mount from 1985- present.
i agree. can any one simplify it? im new to sony camera's can anyone help me about it?. i have Sony A65. im confused what lens will be compatible for A mount cameras without using any adapters. thank u for any responce God Bless.
in this video what i feel is you are selling the e mount.where is a mount ? If you don't want to talk about a mount, that's fine, but just don't use that kind of title!
The Sony A mount was identical to the Minolta Maxuum mount, and was brought over when Sony purchased Minolta SLR line. It's very different than the E-mount in that is is designed for a full frame camera with a mirror. As a result they adapt really well to the E- mount with sony and 3rd party adapters.
This was so helpful!! I am shopping for lenses and was getting frustrated because I couldn’t find any e mounts, all I could find was NEX! Super nice to learn it’s practically the same
You're absolutely fantastic at making informational videos. Succinct and yet thorough, breaking down a lot of information in a very understandable way. You would make a great photography teacher and anybody would be absolutely blessed to be an apprentice under your tutelage. It's rare I comment, like and subscribe after watching a single video, but you thoroughly impressed me with your presentation. I loved the calm enthusiasm as well. Keep up the fantastic work! And I'm sure whatever business you have in the realm of photography is thriving. Thank you so much for the video. I'm envious of your glass!! haha
Is it correct to say you can mount a GM lens onto an a6000 and retain the same aperture...Mr Northrop makes the point, very stridently, that both the focal length And the aperture have to be multiplied by the 1.5 crop factor?
Any FF lens mounted on a APS-C camera will NOT result in less light. You will still have the full f/2.8 aperture but you will see the 1.5x crop in play as the sensor will only see part of the light the lens is transmitting. Only the focal length is multiplied, not the aperture.
@@PMRTV Thanks, You may care to view a very long TH-cam video by Tony Northrop on this exact point. In his own, forthright manner, he leaves no doubt that both the focal length and aperture have to be multiplied by the relevant crop factor of smaller sensor cameras. This gave the Olympus lens he mentions a very hard time as even a 2.8 lens, according to Northrop, has to have its light gathering ability effectively halved as the M$3rds have a x 2 cropping factor. I am but repeating the content of his video.
@@robertcudlipp3426 Yeah, I've heard about that video before from others wanting to know the same thing you messaged me about. I am not an internet phenom, only a photographer with 30 years experience. Tony is a super nice guy and very smart but.... if you make an image with a FF camera and set the aperture and shutter speed and ISO, and then use those same settings on an APS-C camera, you will get the same exact exposure. FF cameras gather more light because they have a larger surface of sensors to do so, but in actual practice, this means they offer better quality images but the exposure remains the same.
There was minimal discussion of A mount, but my only complaint is with the titling which suggests a reference to A mount. The content without the, to me, misleading titling was excellent. Thank you.
so, can i use a A to L adapter to mount a sony E lens into my sigma fp mount? even any leica L mount system like leica SL2 ? i just cannot find any E-mount lens adapter to L-mount camera :(
What about connecting the Sony A7IV to a Celestron 8se 2000mm telescope? I bought one mount but it only connected to the Sony A7IV and I was not able to connect it to the telescope. There must be a way to do this... Great explanation on the alpha system thanks.
Hey Patrick, Excellent review and truly informative! Much of the advantages of inter changeability can get overlooked very easily. Thanks for this one !!
Patrick Murphy-Racey, do you know if those lenses (18-110 & 28-135) can do zoom when using Sony Play Memories /or Sony View with Sony Remote (software)?
Thanks for taking the time to put this together - appreciated the info on cinema lenses. As suggestions could have included A mount info and an example of focus breathing (there's a stock example of a chess board where focus goes white-black).
Great explanation. But allow me a question. I want to change my sony alfa700 for a sony alfa 7iii, and I have sigma lens for sony alfa (10-20 mm - 35mm - 70 mm macro) and a cz 24mm (diagonal). Do sony a7 iii support these lenses without performance impairment? Thanks.
You are the first person EVER that explained the Sony mount! THANK YOU. Can you please point to where we can find how A mount correlates to E mount? I see a lot of great lenses for A mount but everyone only talks about E mount... Can A mount be used on my A73? Will there be any trade offs? Where did A mount come from? Thank you!
The A Mount system was actually developed by Minolta. It was used in their auto focus film cameras (introduced in 1985). Minolta merged with Konica in 2003. Konica-Minolta sold their commercial photography division to Sony in 2006. (Konica-Minolta actually made two digital cameras using the A Mount: the 5D and the 7D.) Sony's DSLR cameras (the ones WITH mirrors) use the same mount as Minolta used for it's film and digital SLR cameras. (This means older Minolta AF lenses can be mounted directly on Sony DSLR cameras.) Using A Mount lenses on an E Mount camera requires using an adapter. The cheapest adapters will allow the lens to be mounted with no communication between the lens and camera. The adapter provides manual control over the aperture. Manual focus only. Sony makes two adapters to mount A Mount lenses on E Mount bodies. Both allow full communication between camera and lens. The more expensive of these two also allows AF capabilities. (The other is MF only) A Mount lenses lack an AF motor, it's located in the camera. Using the adapter that allows AF won't provide quite the same results as using an E Mount lens on an E Mount camera. The A Mount lens will auto focus but will lag slightly compared to an E Mount lens on the same camera. Plus not all AF options are supported. Some of Minolta's AF lenses are highly regarded and can be bought for much lower prices than the E Mount alternative. A Sony E Mount 90mm/2.8 Macro lens runs about $850. A Minolta 100mm/2.8 Macro lenses is closer to $250. Plus there are some Minolta offerings with no Sony alternative. (Minolta made a 500mm AF mirror lens) Newer lenses do have advantages, like better coatings or flare control. As a side note, the Alpha name actually comes from Minolta marketing. Minolta called their AF cameras Maxxum in the U.S., Alpha in Japan or China and Dynax in the rest of the World. And another side note, there are also adapters that allow Canon EF lenses auto focus when used on E Mount cameras.
Another note on A Mount lenses. Sony does make A Mount lenses with an internal AF Motor. I forgot about those when posting originally. (I blame posted WAY too late at night.) SAM or SSM branded Sony lenses will autofocus if you use an adapter that provides electronic communications. (If you don't mind manual focus and manual aperture control you can use a much cheaper adapter.)
@@davidaddams9802, Sony made four Minolta adapters, not two. They depend on the focusing system of the lens. The -EA2 works with the Sony electronic lenses and Minolta 90% of the Minolta screwdriver lenses (some are not compatible electrically)and can be used on FF Sonys with some MP loss due to being A APS-C.
yes, and you would want to use the LE-EA3 adapter which is made by Sony. It works best on the SSM and SSM II lenses but will work on all of the A mount glass. Some of my favorites are the 24-70Z, 135mm f/1.8Z, and 300mm f/2.8G SSM II. You won't have the same performance as with FE glass but if you have the A mount glass already, it's a good way to transition.
What lens is good for low-light conditions indoors, for t the Sony a33 camera? It is my favorite camera because the screen can be swiveled in so many different directions.
A friend has a full frame 42 mp Sony camera. I have an Olympus OM to Nex adapter and Olympus glass. Is this going to make it possible to make use of my Olympus lenses on his camera??
well, if it works, you won't be able to realize all 42 mp because you will be putting glass designed for a small sensor onto a full frame sensor camera. So the answer is maybe. ;)
@@PMRTV Except that the OM mount is ancient: it's for the Olympus 35mm Film cameras of the last century. What I might find is that the lenses are going to be disappointing so far as contrast and sharpness is concerned. Now I looked at the adapter and it seems to me that the NEX mount is not as wide as Nikon's Z mount.
@@feraudyh sorry, I got you!!! Those lenses will be plenty sharp but you will see purple fringing pretty badly. Remember, on film's best day, it was around 6MP. Olympus made fantastic lenses!!! I owned one of their 21mm f/2 lenses in the early 1990's. I had an OM2N that I used to shoot with it and there was no other look like it!
I'm new to Sony cameras, switching from Nikon, some videos on youtube say that you need an adapter from Sony to make A mount lenses work on E mount cameras. Is this true?
Thank you for creating this video. I have always been quite confused when it came to the variety of lenses that are available for the different Sony cameras.
I just picked up sony A mount lens from the yard sale! Is there an adapter to use this lens on my canon T6i DSLR camera? Not having any luck finding the adapter
NEX used E mount in my research so far. Another note not mentioned is that E is NOT adaptable to the A systems due to the sensor/mount flange distance but the opposite is 100% true with ALL Minolta MC/MD and A.
@@andrewmckenley5355, it is mirrorless, so yes. The work on all the Sony DSLR. The Sont LE-Ea4 is the full-frame one. The -EA2 will also work on a full-frame with some MP loss. The -EA4 will work on crop frame but there will an extra vignetting equal to a full-frame (multiply the APS-C sensor by 1.5)
Thanks for Video but a few things worth mentioning. I used to use Canon 5d and on that camera I used a an EF-S lens. It was totally comparable in terms of Mount size, but I did get some Vignetting with a wide angle zoom on a FF camera. Additionally, in watching your video I did not see any real explanation of A mount lenses, (unless I blinked and missed it) apart from saying that an A mount lens is compatable with an E mount Camera. I own a Sony A7iii and before that a an A7 and as far as i am aware, an A-mount will not physically attach to an E-mount camera without an adapter. Which makes it as comparable as a Canon or other lens mfg that has adapters. Hardly part of a System.
Great video, but I still have a question. Will a Sony SAL70400G 70-400mm f/4-5.6 G SSM Lens fit directly onto a Sony A6000 body or will I need an adapter? Thanks,
it will not. You need a Sony Adapter called the LAEA4 as the A6000 only has contrast detect AF. If you had the A6300 or A6500 you would use the LEA3 (much better performance).
Cameras are basically an adjustable light bucket. Yes you can make adjustments to get the exposure you want within certain limits. I am getting into nightscape photography and the last thing I want to do is limit the amount of light hitting the sensor. The E-Mount does that with its 1.815” (46.1mm) throat diameter vs the A-Mount 1.957” (49.7mm) throat diameter. Any advantage you can get without pushing up the ISO is always a winner because we all know that higher ISO = more noise. It may very well be one of the main reasons that Nikon and Canon do better against Sony because the throat diameter is even larger with some camera lines reaching 2.165” (55mm) using the very same sensors.
This is not a relevant argument in the least. This flange-back distance thing is a ploy that "competitors" used against Sony early on when they didn't like the e-mount. They also said that it would be impossible for Sony to make f/1.2 lenses, and of course, we all know what happened last week ;)
@@PMRTV What? The flange-back distance mainly controls the focal plane where an image comes into focus. The f-stop controls the amount of light hitting the sensor. There is a video in this article;
An optical engineer that does a great job in explaining it and pretty much says that larger lens mounts gives you more light, depending on the flange-back distance will determine if a faster lens (f/1.2 or faster) can be designed. With Sony’s new announcement the 50mm f/1.2 lens that Sony likes to call a “compact lens” is far from that. It just show that by tightening up the tolerances within the lens (what most likely would be aerospace tolerances) you can make a faster lens but they are limited to how fast they can go given the lens throat diameter and flange distance, the two are correlative. It still doesn’t change the fact that to get more light to the sensor you need a larger throat diameter. We haven’t even gotten into the curvature of the lens or number of elements. All of which can impact the image quality at the edge and amount of light hitting the sensor.
@@orionthedefender985 Look Orion, I make my living as a full-time photographer and have for 35 years. I'm trying to be patient with you. Sony has no issues with low light gathering on its sensors, no issues with making a lens that has an f/stop of 1.2, and no help needed from you to help me understand optics as I've been using them to make a living for many years. Sony certainly doesn't need any help making G Master glass either. What is the point of your post???? Do you even know?
@@PMRTV I've been in photography just as long as well as astronomy, including grinding my own telescope mirror and testing it. It isn’t hard to figure out if you want to gather more light you need a larger aperture which means larger throat diameter. You have an optical engineer in that article telling you as much and explaining it to you. Sony went in the right direction when they made their first mirrorless camera but instead of making it so they could achieve faster lenses they went with smaller cameras that seem more like toys. They’ve lost a lot of customers because of this.
Even today on the boxes of the third and fourth series of Sony a7 cameras and e-mount lenses there is the letter α and people misunderstand that these are α mount cameras and α mount lenses too. After 2013 with the introduction of Sony full frame e-mount cameras very few new α-mount lenses have been introduced and third party lens manufacturers have stopped to produce α-mount versions of their lenses for a long time. α-mount in practice is dead but α-mount cameras and lenses are still sold new. There is an adapter with pellicle mirror and motors inside for using α-mount screw driven lenses on e-mount cameras. The Sony LA-EA4 adapter was introduced in 2012 alongside the introduction of the first full frame e-mount videocamera Sony NEX VG900. Initially there weren't full frame e-mount lenses for this camera and the LA-EA4 α-mount to e-mount adapter provided support for the plethora of existing Minolta and Sony α-mount autofocus lenses. The LA-EA4 adapter was introduced in 2012 one year before the introduction of the Sony a7 series in 2013. Also the LA-EA4 hasn't been updated since then and its autofocus is very poor for the autofocus standards of 2020 cameras. The full frame α-mount Sony a99 II was introduced in 2016 and is very good but the swan song of the Sony/Minolta α-mount system. There are very good older α-mount autofocus lenses by Minolta in eBay and especially super telephoto ones with incredible quality for their second hand price. The α-mount has a long history and Minolta a-mount SLR cameras were the first in 1985 that had autofocus system inside the camera body. Autofocus existed long before but actually it was Minolta in 1985 that started the autofocus revolution in Photography. During the film era α-mount autofocus SLR cameras were successful but with the digital era couldn't compete and Minolta-Konica was bought by Sony in 2016 without success. The 2010 was the most important year for Sony in photography. In 2010 Sony abandoned the α-mount digital SLR cameras and introduced two new technologies. The SLT technology with peillicle mirror that was compatible with existing α-mount autofocus lenses and the mirrorless technology with the affordable NEX-3 and the more advanced NEX-5. The SLT camera's weren't successful but the e-mount technology was an instant success. So sony took the chance to introduce the full frame e-mount a7 series three years later which was a game changer in the photography market. By the way the kit lens of the Sony α3000 is unique and was never sold sold alone. The rarest e-mount lens.
Hi Patrick great video, I’m just wondering about the fe system ? I use the original A7 which is an FE mount so can I use the e mount lenses ? It’s very confusing as I see you tubers talking about there a7r3 which is full frame yet they can put an e mount lens on which is designed for crop bodies is it not ? Thanks for any help you cAn provide
"E-Mount" and "FE Mount" lenses are the same thing. The FE stands for full-frame and as your original A7 is FF, they will all work. You can also use the NEX lenses made for APS-C bodies like the A6000 on your A7. It will automatically crop to the lens. Confused yet? Yep, welcome to Sony ;). So, NEX, E-Mount, and FE mount are all the same mount. Everything is backwards and forwards compatible. kindest regards, pm-r :)
I find the A-mount lenses to be the most versatile of the entire Sony range and yet you barely mentioned them. The A-mount line consists of some of the very best Sony glass (i.e. Sony Zeiss Vario Sonnar 135mm F1.8 ZA ), and, of course, this can be adapted to e-mount/nex cameras.
As Sony increases its E-mount lineup, the "most versatile" A mount lenses that you describe becomes less and less, especially when you consider the 12-24mmG & 400GM lenses on the FE side of things. While the A mount glass does adapt pretty well to the E-mount cameras, they are lack luster when compared especially to the longer GM lenses. Your argument was more true two years ago and will be less true as time goes on (perhaps next week?). I started shooting with Sony with the A99V body and grew a lens lineup that included their 300mm f/2.8G SSMII, and the 135mm f/1.8Z that you mentioned. I hope that Sony will release an FE version 135mm f/1.8 this year as I will buy it without question as soon as it's available. I still have hope that Sony will bring out a stacked sensor version of the A77III soon to keep the APS-C side of things alive on A mount side and I'm very glad that they did the A99II which I found an excellent camera until they put an A9 in my hands...
Point taken Patrick. I hear what you say about the FE GM lenses but, particularly from a cost perspective, some of the A-mount glass still rocks. Thanks for the reply.
Thanks for the info. I do public astronomy and like to give folks the opportunity to shoot through my scopes with their cameras. I shoot Canon but have had people with Sony gear want to try. Looks like an e-mount t-adapter will now be part of my gear.
Very informative video that I learned some good information that will serve me well in the future, but you might have answered the question I was seeking however I think I missed the answer even though I watched most the video twice. My question is the Sigma f2.8 DG HSM 24-70 Sony A mount and I have a Sony a5100 E mount camera and I see all kinds of adapters that's say in the description Sigma AF Sony A mount to Sony E mount adapter which is what I need but I get overwhelmed because how different at least 3 of them look and the price range going from 10-150 dollars and don't want to buy a piece of junk but I don't need over kill either just something that will work and price friendly would be nice. Does anyone have advice??? I appreciate your time and help to anyone that take the time to answer.
no. the "A" in SAL connotates A mount. You can use that lens with an LEA3 adapter and get OK results, but you'd be better off to instead get the SEL50mm f/1.8 OSS lens, or any of the other SEL or FE 50/55mm lenses.
One quick remark. Some crop lenses make even more sense on the a7R3 since you still have 18 megapixels and they are sharper than on all sony aps-c bodies since it doesn't have any AA filter. And some are damn nice like the 24F1.8, or the sigma 1.4 or even some of the zooms like the sel1018F4 on a gimbal or when you want to keep things smaller.
Yeah i remember now we had some discussion before the a7r3 was announced i wanted a 10fps/stacked sensor with 50 to 55 megapixels to make the perfect 'aps-c' hidden in a fullframe. I was a little upset that it stayed at 42.6 but didn't account for the AA filter as far as i can tell its already matching today. The a7R3 is sony's best aps-c shooter :)... I still want the stacked sensor. Next gen love child of the a9 and ar7r3 will be so awesome ... can't wait to buy it again grrr :). PS very few people 'notice' that a a7R3 at 8fps/compressed raw/crop has a 578 deep buffer before slowdown :)
don't forget pixel shift too. So no AA filter and then you can use PS on still-life, landscape, stars. etc.. A6700 has to be coming... Sony produces new APS-C cameras as if they were running a bus schedule! I'm hoping for 1/250th sync and the same low light capability as the A7SII in the next A6xxx camera--and give us a VERTICAL GRIP!
I got my hands on a 16mm f 2.8 SEL. It might be APS-C and even if you remove the baffle you might hit the limitations of the lens quickly. But ... it is small and once shifted into APS-C mode a 24mm vloggers dream.
A most interesting video - thank you for making it. However, I am pretty thick or stupid as I still do not understand: Is it possible to use a NEX lens on an E mount, or E mount lens onto a NEX camera? - I figure I can from this video. In short - are all these lenses physically interchangeable with different Sony camera mounts? That is - disregarding/bearing in mind the size of the sensor.
@@KaptainCanuck Dear Krazee. You advice much appreciated - I found problems with my Sony, and as Sony support was useless, I sold the camera and bought a Nikon Z5 as I have many 'F' mount lenses. The photographs are sensational/spectacular, but as you can imagine it is not a point-and-shoot camera. So, I have Sony lenses for eBay someday.
@@jacktoddy9783, you could have bought a Neecone adapter for a pretty low price compared to the Sony ones. As I hear, many DSLR and mirrorless Canon lenses are not Sony compatible due to the flange distance not being correct even with adapters but they do sell them.
Thanks Patrick. I switched over from Cannon two years ago. I love the Sony system. Yes there marketing: A mount, E Mount & NEX, is very confusing. I have no idea why Sony is still doing the A mount system? The E mount system is what everyone is using and has all the new lenses. The one thing you didnt address is that you can go from full frame to crop sensor with the A7R & A9 series bodies. That is a game changer being able to use crop sensor lenses on a full frame camera. thanks
No mention of A mount - the whole reason I watched this video was to see what A mount lenses are and if they differ from C-mount lenses .. are they interchangeable...etc.
First, my wife might see your comment... So they are "tools, not toys." Second, I have the Ronin-M and it works GREAT with the A9/A7RIII with the new 12-24G. Very lightweight but things can get pretty bent near 12mm, especially going around corners. I stick to the 18-24mm range ;)
My bad. You got me to look by referring to A mount lenses. Did you forget about the people who have been loyal A mount users since the Minolta days? It's obvious that Sony is dropping those of us with tens of thousands of dollars invested in A mount glass like a bad date. If I'm going to have to use an adapter on any new Sony camera I buy, why stop there? There are perfectly good adapters for use with Canon and Nikon. And they are far more loyal to their customer base.
the FZ system never became widespread, the F5/F55 cameras had FZ mount, but were 99% of the time were used with adapters and the FS line and the new Venice are E mount
Didn't talk about the A mount...
yes! what about the a mount patrick?
i agree. can any one simplify it? im new to sony camera's can anyone help me about it?. i have Sony A65. im confused what lens will be compatible for A mount cameras without using any adapters. thank u for any responce God Bless.
in this video what i feel is you are selling the e mount.where is a mount ?
If you don't want to talk about a mount, that's fine, but just don't use that kind of title!
The Sony A mount was identical to the Minolta Maxuum mount, and was brought over when Sony purchased Minolta SLR line. It's very different than the E-mount in that is is designed for a full frame camera with a mirror. As a result they adapt really well to the E- mount with sony and 3rd party adapters.
Tex Mex thanks! I watched the whole 12 minute video waiting for him to talk about the A mount only to be disappointed
This was so helpful!! I am shopping for lenses and was getting frustrated because I couldn’t find any e mounts, all I could find was NEX! Super nice to learn it’s practically the same
You're absolutely fantastic at making informational videos. Succinct and yet thorough, breaking down a lot of information in a very understandable way. You would make a great photography teacher and anybody would be absolutely blessed to be an apprentice under your tutelage. It's rare I comment, like and subscribe after watching a single video, but you thoroughly impressed me with your presentation. I loved the calm enthusiasm as well. Keep up the fantastic work! And I'm sure whatever business you have in the realm of photography is thriving. Thank you so much for the video. I'm envious of your glass!! haha
you are very kind, thanks so much!!!
Nothing about A mount, that's what I was interested in. Other then that good video.
Did you find out if the A mount is the same mount as the others in the Alpha range?
@@peasantfarmer3030 is the a mount the same as the e mount?
@@bradleyrees8027 no. A mount is only the Alpha range. E has a different mount.
Is it correct to say you can mount a GM lens onto an a6000 and retain the same aperture...Mr Northrop makes the point, very stridently, that both the focal length And the aperture have to be multiplied by the 1.5 crop factor?
Any FF lens mounted on a APS-C camera will NOT result in less light. You will still have the full f/2.8 aperture but you will see the 1.5x crop in play as the sensor will only see part of the light the lens is transmitting. Only the focal length is multiplied, not the aperture.
@@PMRTV Thanks, You may care to view a very long TH-cam video by Tony Northrop on this exact point. In his own, forthright manner, he leaves no doubt that both the focal length and aperture have to be multiplied by the relevant crop factor of smaller sensor cameras. This gave the Olympus lens he mentions a very hard time as even a 2.8 lens, according to Northrop, has to have its light gathering ability effectively halved as the M$3rds have a x 2 cropping factor. I am but repeating the content of his video.
@@robertcudlipp3426 Yeah, I've heard about that video before from others wanting to know the same thing you messaged me about. I am not an internet phenom, only a photographer with 30 years experience. Tony is a super nice guy and very smart but.... if you make an image with a FF camera and set the aperture and shutter speed and ISO, and then use those same settings on an APS-C camera, you will get the same exact exposure. FF cameras gather more light because they have a larger surface of sensors to do so, but in actual practice, this means they offer better quality images but the exposure remains the same.
@@PMRTV Thanks,there must a great number of confused individuals such as me.
I don't get it. What e-Mount is has always been clearly communicated. My NEX 5N says e-mount on it.
There was minimal discussion of A mount, but my only complaint is with the titling which suggests a reference to A mount. The content without the, to me, misleading titling was excellent. Thank you.
Ive been looking for a video like these to get a glimpse of the difference, great work!
This is an extremely informative presentation. I wish I had view this a lot earlier. By the way, you are a natural speaker/presenter.
Wow, thank you! thanks Steve!
This video needs more love. 🎉 so helpful!
Glad you think so!
so, can i use a A to L adapter to mount a sony E lens into my sigma fp mount? even any leica L mount system like leica SL2 ? i just cannot find any E-mount lens adapter to L-mount camera :(
Dude you completely overlooked talking about A lenses
I dont get it, what are A to E-mount adapters for then, if its intercharchable?
What about connecting the Sony A7IV to a Celestron 8se 2000mm telescope? I bought one mount but it only connected to the Sony A7IV and I was not able to connect it to the telescope. There must be a way to do this... Great explanation on the alpha system thanks.
try this adapter: amzn.to/3qa6uCk
This video is amazing and so informative. Thank you.
thanks!!!
Have I understood correctly? The A mount is the same as the other mounts in the Alpha range?
Best explanatory camera/lens video ever. If you're interested in e-mount. But as others have pointed out, didn't get into A-mount.
Hey Patrick, Excellent review and truly informative! Much of the advantages of inter changeability can get overlooked very easily.
Thanks for this one !!
thanks :)
You forgot to mention that the A-mount was inherited from the Minolta lenses, when Sony acquired the company and all its patents.
Is it the same mount as the others in the sony alpha range?
@@peasantfarmer3030 yes it is.
@@pabloarvelo5969 No it's not.
@@peasantfarmer3030 en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_%CE%B1
@@pabloarvelo5969 the E mount is also part of Alpha.
th-cam.com/video/6S1XvWSwIRk/w-d-xo.html . so when you put an e mount lens on, the camera automatically goes into apsc mode?
yes. And since it's it's EVF, the viewfinder just looks only at the APS-C area of the sensor and gives you a full-sized view.
NEX is the same as E mount! Perfect video, Thank you.
Patrick Murphy-Racey, do you know if those lenses (18-110 & 28-135) can do zoom when using Sony Play Memories /or Sony View with Sony Remote (software)?
Why did you include A-mount in title but not talk about it?
I watched it to get info on A-mount got to the end, yet no mention of A-mount.
Very helpful, thank you!
You bet! thanks for watching!
Thanks for taking the time to put this together - appreciated the info on cinema lenses. As suggestions could have included A mount info and an example of focus breathing (there's a stock example of a chess board where focus goes white-black).
Great suggestion!
Great explanation.
But allow me a question.
I want to change my sony alfa700 for a sony alfa 7iii, and I have sigma lens for sony alfa (10-20 mm - 35mm - 70 mm macro) and a cz 24mm (diagonal). Do sony a7 iii support these lenses without performance impairment?
Thanks.
You are the first person EVER that explained the Sony mount! THANK YOU. Can you please point to where we can find how A mount correlates to E mount? I see a lot of great lenses for A mount but everyone only talks about E mount... Can A mount be used on my A73? Will there be any trade offs? Where did A mount come from?
Thank you!
The A Mount system was actually developed by Minolta. It was used in their auto focus film cameras (introduced in 1985). Minolta merged with Konica in 2003. Konica-Minolta sold their commercial photography division to Sony in 2006. (Konica-Minolta actually made two digital cameras using the A Mount: the 5D and the 7D.)
Sony's DSLR cameras (the ones WITH mirrors) use the same mount as Minolta used for it's film and digital SLR cameras. (This means older Minolta AF lenses can be mounted directly on Sony DSLR cameras.)
Using A Mount lenses on an E Mount camera requires using an adapter.
The cheapest adapters will allow the lens to be mounted with no communication between the lens and camera. The adapter provides manual control over the aperture. Manual focus only.
Sony makes two adapters to mount A Mount lenses on E Mount bodies. Both allow full communication between camera and lens. The more expensive of these two also allows AF capabilities. (The other is MF only) A Mount lenses lack an AF motor, it's located in the camera.
Using the adapter that allows AF won't provide quite the same results as using an E Mount lens on an E Mount camera. The A Mount lens will auto focus but will lag slightly compared to an E Mount lens on the same camera. Plus not all AF options are supported.
Some of Minolta's AF lenses are highly regarded and can be bought for much lower prices than the E Mount alternative. A Sony E Mount 90mm/2.8 Macro lens runs about $850. A Minolta 100mm/2.8 Macro lenses is closer to $250.
Plus there are some Minolta offerings with no Sony alternative. (Minolta made a 500mm AF mirror lens)
Newer lenses do have advantages, like better coatings or flare control.
As a side note, the Alpha name actually comes from Minolta marketing. Minolta called their AF cameras Maxxum in the U.S., Alpha in Japan or China and Dynax in the rest of the World.
And another side note, there are also adapters that allow Canon EF lenses auto focus when used on E
Mount cameras.
Another note on A Mount lenses. Sony does make A Mount lenses with an internal AF Motor. I forgot about those when posting originally. (I blame posted WAY too late at night.)
SAM or SSM branded Sony lenses will autofocus if you use an adapter that provides electronic communications.
(If you don't mind manual focus and manual aperture control you can use a much cheaper adapter.)
@@davidaddams9802 WOW! You shared a wealth of knowledge. This post made me look up the Minolta. Its less than $200 now on ebay.
@@davidaddams9802 BTW which adapter allows the Canon EF lenses to auto focus? I use the MC-11 which doesnt AF in video mode. Only in photos.
@@davidaddams9802, Sony made four Minolta adapters, not two. They depend on the focusing system of the lens. The -EA2 works with the Sony electronic lenses and Minolta 90% of the Minolta screwdriver lenses (some are not compatible electrically)and can be used on FF Sonys with some MP loss due to being A
APS-C.
So can you mount a Sigma A mount Lens onto a Sony a7 iii camera with an E mount?
yes, and you would want to use the LE-EA3 adapter which is made by Sony. It works best on the SSM and SSM II lenses but will work on all of the A mount glass. Some of my favorites are the 24-70Z, 135mm f/1.8Z, and 300mm f/2.8G SSM II. You won't have the same performance as with FE glass but if you have the A mount glass already, it's a good way to transition.
What lens is good for low-light conditions indoors, for t the Sony a33 camera? It is my favorite camera because the screen can be swiveled in so many different directions.
Fantastic demystification of lens labeling and use. Thank you!!👍🏾👍🏾📸
A friend has a full frame 42 mp Sony camera. I have an Olympus OM to Nex adapter and Olympus glass. Is this going to make it possible to make use of my Olympus lenses on his camera??
well, if it works, you won't be able to realize all 42 mp because you will be putting glass designed for a small sensor onto a full frame sensor camera. So the answer is maybe. ;)
@@PMRTV Except that the OM mount is ancient: it's for the Olympus 35mm Film cameras of the last century. What I might find is that the lenses are going to be disappointing so far as contrast and sharpness is concerned.
Now I looked at the adapter and it seems to me that the NEX mount is not as wide as Nikon's Z mount.
@@feraudyh sorry, I got you!!! Those lenses will be plenty sharp but you will see purple fringing pretty badly. Remember, on film's best day, it was around 6MP. Olympus made fantastic lenses!!! I owned one of their 21mm f/2 lenses in the early 1990's. I had an OM2N that I used to shoot with it and there was no other look like it!
I'm new to Sony cameras, switching from Nikon, some videos on youtube say that you need an adapter from Sony to make A mount lenses work on E mount cameras. Is this true?
So.. I have a Sony art with an e mount... Can I use an A mount lens on the camera?
I have a a7r and Do they have adapters for dslr lens
Thank so much for this video.
Glad it was helpful!
Brilliant presentation; just what I was looking for. Thanks much for effort/sharing. Take care!
Soo.. NEX and E mount is exactly a Same Mount ?
it's True...Sony E-mount very strong lower end model camera body and higher end model camera body ...more conveniences....Thanks
No doubt
Thank you for creating this video. I have always been quite confused when it came to the variety of lenses that are available for the different Sony cameras.
You're very welcome!
Side note the 28-135 is a FE lens while the 18-105 is E. Also A mount requires an adapter due to it being a different mount.
true. it can be a little confusing. I should have mentioned that, thanks for the catch! pm-r :)
A great video, helped me alot !!
Glad to hear it!
I just picked up sony A mount lens from the yard sale!
Is there an adapter to use this lens on my canon T6i DSLR camera?
Not having any luck finding the adapter
Same here picked up a Sigma wide angle on auction for less than 40 usd now I can't find an adapter to my Canon eos 😭
which one you picked up
Ok still confused. Can I put a Sony FE 85mm f1.8 on a Sony a7III with an a-mount? I hate this nomenclature shit.
NEX used E mount in my research so far. Another note not mentioned is that E is NOT adaptable to the A systems due to the sensor/mount flange distance but the opposite is 100% true with ALL Minolta MC/MD and A.
Do I need an adapter to put a Minolta on a Sony a7rIv?
@@andrewmckenley5355, it is mirrorless, so yes. The work on all the Sony DSLR. The Sont LE-Ea4 is the full-frame one. The -EA2 will also work on a full-frame with some MP loss. The -EA4 will work on crop frame but there will an extra vignetting equal to a full-frame (multiply the APS-C sensor by 1.5)
Thanks! This is very helpful.. I'm new to the Sony E-Mount systems.. This explains the whole E-mount system!
Simple, if its a Sony DSLR you get a mount, if its a sony mirrorless the its e mount
Thanks for Video but a few things worth mentioning. I used to use Canon 5d and on that camera I used a an EF-S lens. It was totally comparable in terms of Mount size, but I did get some Vignetting with a wide angle zoom on a FF camera. Additionally, in watching your video I did not see any real explanation of A mount lenses, (unless I blinked and missed it) apart from saying that an A mount lens is compatable with an E mount Camera. I own a Sony A7iii and before that a an A7 and as far as i am aware, an A-mount will not physically attach to an E-mount camera without an adapter. Which makes it as comparable as a Canon or other lens mfg that has adapters. Hardly part of a System.
Great video, but I still have a question.
Will a Sony SAL70400G 70-400mm f/4-5.6 G SSM Lens fit directly onto a Sony A6000 body or will I need an adapter? Thanks,
it will not. You need a Sony Adapter called the LAEA4 as the A6000 only has contrast detect AF. If you had the A6300 or A6500 you would use the LEA3 (much better performance).
Cameras are basically an adjustable light bucket. Yes you can make adjustments to get the exposure you want within certain limits. I am getting into nightscape photography and the last thing I want to do is limit the amount of light hitting the sensor. The E-Mount does that with its 1.815” (46.1mm) throat diameter vs the A-Mount 1.957” (49.7mm) throat diameter. Any advantage you can get without pushing up the ISO is always a winner because we all know that higher ISO = more noise. It may very well be one of the main reasons that Nikon and Canon do better against Sony because the throat diameter is even larger with some camera lines reaching 2.165” (55mm) using the very same sensors.
This is not a relevant argument in the least. This flange-back distance thing is a ploy that "competitors" used against Sony early on when they didn't like the e-mount. They also said that it would be impossible for Sony to make f/1.2 lenses, and of course, we all know what happened last week ;)
@@PMRTV What? The flange-back distance mainly controls the focal plane where an image comes into focus. The f-stop controls the amount of light hitting the sensor. There is a video in this article;
An optical engineer that does a great job in explaining it and pretty much says that larger lens mounts gives you more light, depending on the flange-back distance will determine if a faster lens (f/1.2 or faster) can be designed. With Sony’s new announcement the 50mm f/1.2 lens that Sony likes to call a “compact lens” is far from that. It just show that by tightening up the tolerances within the lens (what most likely would be aerospace tolerances) you can make a faster lens but they are limited to how fast they can go given the lens throat diameter and flange distance, the two are correlative. It still doesn’t change the fact that to get more light to the sensor you need a larger throat diameter. We haven’t even gotten into the curvature of the lens or number of elements. All of which can impact the image quality at the edge and amount of light hitting the sensor.
@@orionthedefender985 Look Orion, I make my living as a full-time photographer and have for 35 years. I'm trying to be patient with you. Sony has no issues with low light gathering on its sensors, no issues with making a lens that has an f/stop of 1.2, and no help needed from you to help me understand optics as I've been using them to make a living for many years. Sony certainly doesn't need any help making G Master glass either. What is the point of your post???? Do you even know?
@@PMRTV I've been in photography just as long as well as astronomy, including grinding my own telescope mirror and testing it. It isn’t hard to figure out if you want to gather more light you need a larger aperture which means larger throat diameter. You have an optical engineer in that article telling you as much and explaining it to you. Sony went in the right direction when they made their first mirrorless camera but instead of making it so they could achieve faster lenses they went with smaller cameras that seem more like toys. They’ve lost a lot of customers because of this.
adopter for sony E mount lenses to sony A mount cameras????
Even today on the boxes of the third and fourth series of Sony a7 cameras and e-mount lenses there is the letter α and people misunderstand that these are α mount cameras and α mount lenses too.
After 2013 with the introduction of Sony full frame e-mount cameras very few new α-mount lenses have been introduced and third party lens manufacturers have stopped to produce α-mount versions of their lenses for a long time.
α-mount in practice is dead but α-mount cameras and lenses are still sold new.
There is an adapter with pellicle mirror and motors inside for using α-mount screw driven lenses on e-mount cameras. The Sony LA-EA4 adapter was introduced in 2012 alongside the introduction of the first full frame e-mount videocamera Sony NEX VG900. Initially there weren't full frame e-mount lenses for this camera and the LA-EA4 α-mount to e-mount adapter provided support for the plethora of existing Minolta and Sony α-mount autofocus lenses.
The LA-EA4 adapter was introduced in 2012 one year before the introduction of the Sony a7 series in 2013. Also the LA-EA4 hasn't been updated since then and its autofocus is very poor for the autofocus standards of 2020 cameras.
The full frame α-mount Sony a99 II was introduced in 2016 and is very good but the swan song of the Sony/Minolta α-mount system.
There are very good older α-mount autofocus lenses by Minolta in eBay and especially super telephoto ones with incredible quality for their second hand price.
The α-mount has a long history and Minolta a-mount SLR cameras were the first in 1985 that had autofocus system inside the camera body. Autofocus existed long before but actually it was Minolta in 1985 that started the autofocus revolution in Photography.
During the film era α-mount autofocus SLR cameras were successful but with the digital era couldn't compete and Minolta-Konica was bought by Sony in 2016 without success. The 2010 was the most important year for Sony in photography.
In 2010 Sony abandoned the α-mount digital SLR cameras and introduced two new technologies. The SLT technology with peillicle mirror that was compatible with existing α-mount autofocus lenses and the mirrorless technology with the affordable NEX-3 and the more advanced NEX-5.
The SLT camera's weren't successful but the e-mount technology was an instant success. So sony took the chance to introduce the full frame e-mount a7 series three years later which was a game changer in the photography market.
By the way the kit lens of the Sony α3000 is unique and was never sold sold alone. The rarest e-mount lens.
Thank you. I learned a few things from this
Hi Patrick great video, I’m just wondering about the fe system ? I use the original A7 which is an FE mount so can I use the e mount lenses ? It’s very confusing as I see you tubers talking about there a7r3 which is full frame yet they can put an e mount lens on which is designed for crop bodies is it not ?
Thanks for any help you cAn provide
"E-Mount" and "FE Mount" lenses are the same thing. The FE stands for full-frame and as your original A7 is FF, they will all work. You can also use the NEX lenses made for APS-C bodies like the A6000 on your A7. It will automatically crop to the lens. Confused yet? Yep, welcome to Sony ;). So, NEX, E-Mount, and FE mount are all the same mount. Everything is backwards and forwards compatible. kindest regards, pm-r :)
So I would be able to buy the new sigma Sony e mount lens and have no vignetting ?
I find the A-mount lenses to be the most versatile of the entire Sony range and yet you barely mentioned them. The A-mount line consists of some of the very best Sony glass (i.e. Sony Zeiss Vario Sonnar 135mm F1.8 ZA ), and, of course, this can be adapted to e-mount/nex cameras.
As Sony increases its E-mount lineup, the "most versatile" A mount lenses that you describe becomes less and less, especially when you consider the 12-24mmG & 400GM lenses on the FE side of things. While the A mount glass does adapt pretty well to the E-mount cameras, they are lack luster when compared especially to the longer GM lenses. Your argument was more true two years ago and will be less true as time goes on (perhaps next week?). I started shooting with Sony with the A99V body and grew a lens lineup that included their 300mm f/2.8G SSMII, and the 135mm f/1.8Z that you mentioned. I hope that Sony will release an FE version 135mm f/1.8 this year as I will buy it without question as soon as it's available. I still have hope that Sony will bring out a stacked sensor version of the A77III soon to keep the APS-C side of things alive on A mount side and I'm very glad that they did the A99II which I found an excellent camera until they put an A9 in my hands...
Point taken Patrick. I hear what you say about the FE GM lenses but, particularly from a cost perspective, some of the A-mount glass still rocks. Thanks for the reply.
Did I miss something I was watching for the A mount part of the video and didn't see anything.
Great informative video. Thank you so much.
Thanks for the info. I do public astronomy and like to give folks the opportunity to shoot through my scopes with their cameras. I shoot Canon but have had people with Sony gear want to try. Looks like an e-mount t-adapter will now be part of my gear.
This is not for Canon lenses.
@@KaptainCanuck you are 2 years late, but so am I to your comment :D
You should read what he said again, your comment makes no sense haha
is 10 megapixel acceptable for professionals? What does it depend on?
no even phones today have 16-megapixel sensors
Of course it is, unless you make a really really huge print more resolution is not better.
you're awesome bro! thanks for all the info 😀
Happy to help!
Very informative
There is no such thing as Nex mount. There e-mount and a-mount. Both of them are available with aps-c and FF.
Very informative video that I learned some good information that will serve me well in the future, but you might have answered the question I was seeking however I think I missed the answer even though I watched most the video twice. My question is the Sigma f2.8 DG HSM 24-70 Sony A mount and I have a Sony a5100 E mount camera and I see all kinds of adapters that's say in the description Sigma AF Sony A mount to Sony E mount adapter which is what I need but I get overwhelmed because how different at least 3 of them look and the price range going from 10-150 dollars and don't want to buy a piece of junk but I don't need over kill either just something that will work and price friendly would be nice. Does anyone have advice??? I appreciate your time and help to anyone that take the time to answer.
Can I use an A mount lens on an E mount camera!
yes, LEa3
Sal50f14 sam lens a mount... Is suitable for a6300 e mount..
no. the "A" in SAL connotates A mount. You can use that lens with an LEA3 adapter and get OK results, but you'd be better off to instead get the SEL50mm f/1.8 OSS lens, or any of the other SEL or FE 50/55mm lenses.
What happened to A mount ?
Love this, any recommendations for the FX3?
fx3 didn't exist when I made this video...
@@PMRTV Yeah, I was hoping you would see my comment and have some suggestions. :) I value your input!
Great Video. Thank-you!
One quick remark. Some crop lenses make even more sense on the a7R3 since you still have 18 megapixels and they are sharper than on all sony aps-c bodies since it doesn't have any AA filter. And some are damn nice like the 24F1.8, or the sigma 1.4 or even some of the zooms like the sel1018F4 on a gimbal or when you want to keep things smaller.
Thanks Daniel.
totally agree! I use the 10-18 OSS on my A7RIII on the Ronin-M on a regular basis. Love it as it's so lightweight!!!!
Yeah i remember now we had some discussion before the a7r3 was announced i wanted a 10fps/stacked sensor with 50 to 55 megapixels to make the perfect 'aps-c' hidden in a fullframe. I was a little upset that it stayed at 42.6 but didn't account for the AA filter as far as i can tell its already matching today. The a7R3 is sony's best aps-c shooter :)... I still want the stacked sensor. Next gen love child of the a9 and ar7r3 will be so awesome ... can't wait to buy it again grrr :). PS very few people 'notice' that a a7R3 at 8fps/compressed raw/crop has a 578 deep buffer before slowdown :)
don't forget pixel shift too. So no AA filter and then you can use PS on still-life, landscape, stars. etc.. A6700 has to be coming... Sony produces new APS-C cameras as if they were running a bus schedule! I'm hoping for 1/250th sync and the same low light capability as the A7SII in the next A6xxx camera--and give us a VERTICAL GRIP!
I got my hands on a 16mm f 2.8 SEL. It might be APS-C and even if you remove the baffle you might hit the limitations of the lens quickly. But ... it is small and once shifted into APS-C mode a 24mm vloggers dream.
Can I use emount lens on a mount
this is impossible due to the placement of the sensor in each camera system...
Your video is crisp, clean and very pretty. Not sure if you mentioned which camera you used to shoot it
He did
Just a misleading title, no mention to A mount, he just simply forgot to mention the history behind that
I really need to redo this video. You are correct!
Thanks.
Nice break down!
thanks suit!
Thanks for the knowledge shared here
A most interesting video - thank you for making it. However, I am pretty thick or stupid as I still do not understand:
Is it possible to use a NEX lens on an E mount, or E mount lens onto a NEX camera? - I figure I can from this video. In short - are all these lenses physically interchangeable with different Sony camera mounts? That is - disregarding/bearing in mind the size of the sensor.
100% if the camera is mirrorless. E-mount will NOT work at any time on A but A-mount with any adapter will work on any E.
@@KaptainCanuck Dear Krazee. You advice much appreciated - I found problems with my Sony, and as Sony support was useless, I sold the camera and bought a Nikon Z5 as I have many 'F' mount lenses. The photographs are sensational/spectacular, but as you can imagine it is not a point-and-shoot camera. So, I have Sony lenses for eBay someday.
@@jacktoddy9783, you could have bought a Neecone adapter for a pretty low price compared to the Sony ones. As I hear, many DSLR and mirrorless Canon lenses are not Sony compatible due to the flange distance not being correct even with adapters but they do sell them.
Thanks Patrick. I switched over from Cannon two years ago. I love the Sony system. Yes there marketing: A mount, E Mount & NEX, is very confusing. I have no idea why Sony is still doing the A mount system? The E mount system is what everyone is using and has all the new lenses. The one thing you didnt address is that you can go from full frame to crop sensor with the A7R & A9 series bodies. That is a game changer being able to use crop sensor lenses on a full frame camera. thanks
if you watch this video, I address that : th-cam.com/video/MeBpBmygUg0/w-d-xo.html
i think you can do it on the sony a99 and the a99 mk 2
Rex Singleton their*
Thanks Patrick.
you bet!
No mention of A mount - the whole reason I watched this video was to see what A mount lenses are and if they differ from C-mount lenses .. are they interchangeable...etc.
the video is about adapting A-mount lenses to the E-mount, not about other manufacturer's lenses.
very nice man
thank you
Patrick...very informative...Love all your's toys:)
Have anyone try the 12-24mm G on the gimbal?
First, my wife might see your comment... So they are "tools, not toys." Second, I have the Ronin-M and it works GREAT with the A9/A7RIII with the new 12-24G. Very lightweight but things can get pretty bent near 12mm, especially going around corners. I stick to the 18-24mm range ;)
@@PMRTV So that means the 16-35mm f4 is a better fit for gimbal use (since both are the same price and same aperture). Plus the Zeiss has OSS.
Thanks very helpful
Well explained.
My hero!
You can also use other lens from nikon, canon and others with just a adapter.
thanks
Great! Thanks.
My bad. You got me to look by referring to A mount lenses. Did you forget about the people who have been loyal A mount users since the Minolta days? It's obvious that Sony is dropping those of us with tens of thousands of dollars invested in A mount glass like a bad date. If I'm going to have to use an adapter on any new Sony camera I buy, why stop there? There are perfectly good adapters for use with Canon and Nikon. And they are far more loyal to their customer base.
You might want to change the title unless you meant to clickbait us with misinformation.
Destinée Hayden he keeps saying the a mourn and e mount are interchangeable, which they are not.
Thanks!
I didn't know you can use e mount on Sony a7iii AND Sony 6600 🤯
great video but the sound level was so low i could only just hear what you were saying even with my volume maxed out
Sony also made a FZ mounting system for pro cinema cameras.
the FZ system never became widespread, the F5/F55 cameras had FZ mount, but were 99% of the time were used with adapters and the FS line and the new Venice are E mount
🎉 genial 👍
This was great thank you
sweet
useless video , you spent time on those last lenses and forgot about a mount
Good video but too many uh, uh, uhs.
you lost me at “hello”.
Super confusing
sorry!
OMG... Just get to the point!