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.

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	CCD	APS-C
	7D	7D	α-7 Digital	2004	yes	yes	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	CCD	APS-C
α 200				2008	yes	yes	CCD	APS-C
α 230				2009	yes	yes	CCD	APS-C
α 290				2009	yes	yes	CCD	APS-C
α 300				2008	yes	yes	CCD	APS-C
α 330				2009	yes	yes	CCD	APS-C
α 350				2008	yes	yes	CCD	APS-C
α 380				2009	yes	yes	CCD	APS-C
α 390				2010	yes	yes	CCD	APS-C
α 450				2010	yes	yes	CMOS	APS-C
α 500				2009	yes	yes	CMOS	APS-C
α 550				2009	yes	yes	CMOS	APS-C
α 560				2011	yes	yes	CMOS	APS-C
α 580				2010	yes	yes	CMOS	APS-C
α 700				2007	yes	yes	CMOS	APS-C
α 850				2009	yes	yes	CMOS	35mm
α 900				2008	yes	yes	CMOS	35mm
α 33				2010	yes	yes	CMOS	APS-C
α 37				2012		yes	CMOS	APS-C
α 55				2010	yes	yes	CMOS	APS-C
α 57				2012		yes	CMOS	APS-C
α 58				2013		yes	CMOS	APS-C
α 65				2011	yes	yes	CMOS	APS-C
α 77			α 77	2011	yes	yes	CMOS	APS-C
			α 77 II	2014	yes	yes	CMOS	APS-C
α 99				2013	yes	yes	CMOS	35mm
	Hasselblad HV	luxury α 99 variant		2014	yes	yes	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

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)"