is E-mount going to have longevity?

[jeffW]

Not really asking to debate Sony's stance in the camera world or get into a brand discussion. I'm asking about the physics of the E-mount design for full frame sensors. Any scientists here?

I remember when Canon switched to the Eos mount and while there was discussion then that Auto Focus was never going to be the end all it turned out to be and how that help them into the 90's over Nikon

I guess my question for absolute image quality are E-mount lenses going to hit a snag in the future being such a small mount? Still very much on the fence investing into E-mount glass

 

[robbins.photo]

Well, not a scientist but I mugged one once in Sri Lanka. Kind of a long story. But anywhoo - as far as the emount, honestly at this stage I'm not all that willing to bet on it myself personally.

Having the best tech (and no, I'm not saying the emount is the best tech) is no guarantee of market success. Look at the betamax system. Better quality than the VHS systems of the day, but it never really took hold for a variety of reasons. That may well end up happening to the emount system as well.

At the moment the number of lenses you can use natively with an emount are relatively small, and while you can get adapters for other lenses the vast majority of them are manual focus only - or they have a pretty hefty price tag. So it's possible Sony may have shot themselves in the foot already from a marketing perspective. It's also possible they'll decide to support the emount long enough that it will eventually catch on in a big enough way to make it viable long term. Only time will really tell.

Quick Addendum:

Ok, didn't include this in my original post but I guess it really does need to be said, hopefully the folks that like Sony will understand that it is a reason for those of us who aren't Sony buyers to have pause. The A mount system appears to be all but orphaned at this stage, while no official announcement has been made I think the last A mount camera Sony came out with was something like 2 years ago as I recall. As a result many of us have serious reservations about investing in the E mount. Yes there are adapters available to go from A mount to E mount but they are not 100%, plus your looking at balance issues looking at a light body on a heavier lens like that. So yes, for some of us the E mount will need to have a lot more longevity and a lot more support before we decide to invest. As usual, YMMV.

 

[dxqcanada]

So you are asking if mirrorless cameras have a limit on image quality vs a DSLR/SLT camera ?

 

[jeffW]

So you are asking if mirrorless cameras have a limit on image quality vs a DSLR/SLT camera ?

No not at all. I'm wondering if (again I do not know the answer or if this is even a question) because of the limited circumference of the mount if building lenses will be a problem down the road. More of a physics/math question regarding lens design.

While I can understand the mount may be great to reduce size for small sized sensors I am wondering if the E-mount is going to prove to be an problem for quality full frame lenses in the future?​

 

[dxqcanada]

(SR3) Six new FE lenses to be released within the next six months - sonyalpharumors

 

[greybeard]

Sony cameras and lenses have moved from a curiosity with the transparent mirror technology to a major upcoming player with the e mount NEX/Alpha and the FE mount A7 mirrorless cameras. In my opinion Sony has finally found it's niche in the photo/video business and I hardly think they would shoot themselves in the foot by changing mounts again.