Minolta AF mount
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Original Minolta AF mount image by Steve Harwood (Image rights) |
Last version for Sony's SLTs on α system flagship A99 image by Mauro Fuentes (Image rights) |
The α mount (or Minolta AF mount or A-mount) was introduced with Minolta's first popular fully automatic autofocus single lens reflex camera Minolta 7000. It is a bayonet lens mount with three main components: The bayonet, the set of electrical contacts, and a rear engagement to couple the camera's lens focusing motor drive with the lens's focusing mechanics. The introduction of the Minolta 7000 in 1985 was a historical step to fully automatic SLR systems for the mass market.
There were some main product generations. The first were the original AF camera body series and the i-series bodies. These were followed by the xi-series bodies which could use the xi-lenses with internal zoom motor drive. The suceeding camera models tolerated the xi-lenses but didn't support their zoom motor. The last generation of analog SLR bodies supported lenses with own internal focusing motor drive (SAM micro motor lenses or SSM ultrasonic silent motor lenses).
The G-lenses became Minolta's series of superior camera optics. The series was continued by Sony when the Japanese electronics giant took over Konica Minolta's SLR development and production assets. Zeiss supported Sony by creating further top-quality α lenses, the ZA-lens edition. In its first 4 years the Sony α system was just a continuation of Konica Minolta's DSLR concept. For the following 4 years 2010 - 2014 it was modified by replacing the DSLR concept by Sony's own SLT concept. But probably the system's second bayonet, the E-bayonet introduced in 2010 for the Sony NEX series of handsome mirrorless digital system cameras and for professional Sony camcorders, will replace the original α mount completely except on the available A-mount/E-mount adapters.
f99==List of camera bodies and autofocus adapters for α mount lenses==
Minolta |
Minolta Dynax (Europe,Africa,Asia) |
Minolta Maxxum (America) |
Minolta Alpha (Japan,China) |
launch date |
focusing motor in camera |
support of focusing motor in lens |
support of zoom motor in lens |
frame format |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
5000 AF | 5000 | 5000 | 1986 | yes | no | no | 35mm | |
7000 AF | 7000 | 7000 | 1985 | yes | no | no | 35mm | |
9000 AF | 9000 | 9000 | 1985 | yes | no | no | 35mm | |
3000i | 3000i | 3700i | 1989 | yes | no | no | 35mm | |
5000i | 5000i | 5700i | 1989 | yes | no | no | 35mm | |
7000i | 7000i | 7700i | 1988 | yes | no | no | 35mm | |
8000i | 8000i | 8700i | 1990 | yes | no | no | 35mm | |
MS-C1100 | 1992 | yes | no | yes | CCD | |||
2xi | 2xi | 1992 | yes | no | yes | 35mm | ||
3xi | 3xi | 3xi | 1991 | yes | no | yes | 35mm | |
5xi | 5xi | 5xi | 1992 | yes | no | yes | 35mm | |
7xi | 7xi | 7xi | 1991 | yes | no | yes | 35mm | |
9xi | 9xi | 9xi | 1992 | yes | no | yes | 35mm | |
SPxi | SPsi | 1992 | yes | no | yes | 35mm | ||
300si 300si QD |
300si/RZ300si 350si/RZ 330si Panorama Elite |
α-101si | 1995 | yes | no | no | 35mm | |
303si | QTsi | α-360si | 1999 | yes | no | no | 35mm | |
404si | STsi | α Sweet S | 1999 | yes | no | no | 35mm | |
500si | 400si/RZ 400si 450si/RZ 430si |
α-303si | 1993 | yes | no | no | 35mm | |
RD-175 | (also as Agfa Actioncam) | 1995 | yes | no | no | 2" 3 CCDs | ||
500si Super | 500si/RZ 530si | α-303si Super | 1995 | yes | no | no | 35mm | |
HTsi | 1998 | yes | no | no | 35mm | |||
505si | 1998 | yes | no | no | 35mm | |||
505si Super | XTsi | α-Sweet | 1998 | yes | no | no | 35mm | |
600si | 600si | 1993 | yes | no | no | 35mm | ||
650si | 650si Date | α-507si | 1995 | yes | no | no | 35mm | |
700si | 700si | α-707si | 1993 | yes | no | no | 35mm | |
800si | 800si | α-807si | 1997 | yes | no | no | 35mm | |
3 4 |
4 | α-Sweet II L α-3 |
2002 | yes | yes | no | 35mm | |
3L | 3 GT |
2003 | yes | yes | no | 35mm | ||
5 | 5 | α-Sweet II α-5 |
2001 | yes | yes | no | 35mm | |
7 | 7 | α-7 | 2000 | yes | yes | no | 35mm | |
9 | 9 | α-9 | 1998 | yes | yes | no | 35mm | |
9Ti | α-9Ti | 1999 | yes | yes | no | 35mm | ||
KonicaMinolta Dynax (Europe,Africa,Asia) |
KonicaMinolta Maxxum (America) |
KonicaMinolta Alpha (Japan,China) |
launch date |
focusing motor in camera |
support of focusing motor in lens |
imaging sensor | frame format | |
30/40 | 50 | 2004 | yes | yes | - | 35mm | ||
60 | 70 | α-70 | 2004 | yes | yes | - | 35mm | |
5D | 5D | α-Sweet Digital | 2005 | yes | yes | 6 MP CCD | APS-C | |
7D | 7D | α-7 Digital | 2004 | yes | yes | 6 MP CCD | APS-C | |
Sony | Hasselblad (Sony inside) |
! | variant | launch date |
focusing motor in camera |
support of focusing motor in lens |
imaging sensor | frame format |
α 100 | 2006 | yes | yes | 10 MP CCD | APS-C | |||
α 200 | 2008 | yes | yes | 10 MP CCD | APS-C | |||
α 230 | 2009 | yes | yes | 10 MP CCD | APS-C | |||
α 290 | 2009 | yes | yes | 14 MP CCD | APS-C | |||
α 300 | 2008 | yes | yes | 10 MP CCD | APS-C | |||
α 330 | 2009 | yes | yes | 10 MP CCD | APS-C | |||
α 350 | 2008 | yes | yes | 14 MP CCD | APS-C | |||
α 380 | 2009 | yes | yes | 14 MP CCD | APS-C | |||
α 390 | 2010 | yes | yes | 14 MP CCD | APS-C | |||
α 450 | 2010 | yes | yes | 14 MP CMOS | APS-C | |||
α 500 | 2009 | yes | yes | 12 MP CMOS | APS-C | |||
α 550 | 2009 | yes | yes | 14 MP CMOS | APS-C | |||
α 560 | 2011 | yes | yes | 14 MP CMOS | APS-C | |||
α 580 | 2010 | yes | yes | 16 MP CMOS | APS-C | |||
α 700 | 2007 | yes | yes | 12 MP CMOS | APS-C | |||
α 850 | 2009 | yes | yes | 24 MP CMOS | 35mm | |||
α 900 | 2008 | yes | yes | 24 MP CMOS | 35mm | |||
α 33 | 2010 | yes | yes | 14 MP CMOS | APS-C | |||
α 35 | 2011 | yes | yes | 16 MP CMOS | APS-C | |||
α 37 | 2012 | yes | yes | 16 MP CMOS | APS-C | |||
α 55 | 2010 | yes | yes | 16 MP CMOS | APS-C | |||
α 57 | 2012 | yes | yes | 16 MP CMOS | APS-C | |||
α 58 | 2013 | yes | yes | 20 MP CMOS | APS-C | |||
α 65 | 2011 | yes | yes | 24 MP CMOS | APS-C | |||
α 68 | 2016 | yes | yes | 24 MP CMOS | APS-C | |||
α 77 | α 77 | 2011 | yes | yes | 24 MP CMOS | APS-C | ||
α 77 II | 2014 | yes | yes | 24 MP CMOS | APS-C | |||
α 99 | α 99 | 2013 | yes | yes | 24 MP CMOS | 35mm | ||
luxury α 99 variant | Hasselblad HV | 2014 | yes | yes | 24 MP CMOS | 35mm | ||
α 99 II | 2016 | yes | yes | 24 MP CMOS | 35mm | |||
α NEX Camera Mount Adapter | lens adapter series to | LA-EA1 | 2010 | no | yes | in camera | APS-C | |
adapt α mount lenses to | LA-EA2 | 2011 | in adapter | yes | in camera | APS-C | ||
Sony NEX cameras and | LA-EA3 | 2012 | no | yes | in camera | 35mm | ||
other CSCs w/ E-mount | LA-EA4 | 2013 | in adapter | yes | in camera | 35mm | ||
LA-EA5 | 2020 | in adapter | yes | in camera | 35mm |
All Minolta AF mount lenses are applicable on the cameras listed above, except those of the younger lenses designated for fully electronical SAM or SSM control. SAM and SSM is a feature supported by all listed DSLRs and SLTs. It was already aupported on some of the youngest analog Minolta AF (or Maxxum) SLR bodies. All LA-EA-adapters feature SAM and SSM control mode, but only LA-EA2, LA-EA4 and LA-EA5 feature the electro-mechanical focusing for all older original AF system lenses. LA-EA2 and LA-EA4 feature the adding of a separate phase detection autofocus sensor to the camera by means of a translucent mirror in the light path. LA-EA5 uses phase detection only when the camera's imaging sensor itself is capable to do that distance measuring method.
Links
- Michael Hohner's complete α mount bodies list and α mount lenses list
- The pinout of the 8 pins along the top of this mount are described in detail at "Minolta Maxxum Lens Contact Pinouts (SPI protocol)"