A brand new Sony patents describes a new kind of adapter having a Lever. Sony says that this “makes it easier to attach or detach the accessory to or from a device main body” (Source: FreePatentsonline).
The image on top shows you a sort of dust blocking device that automatically covers the sensor when you detach a lens. As you obviously know the dust enters whenever you change lens. With that easy blocking plate the sensor gets covered (Source: FreePatentsonline).
52 Responses
Would this be a new mount?
Not quite. Imagine this:
Lever, position A (mount retracted): for E-mount lenses
Lever, position B (mount protruded): for A-mount lenses
Voila!! A camera born to take E- as well as A-mount lenses.
If the adapter supports a and e mount lenses, the camera must have a different native mount… Does Sony have a 3rd mount kicking around that we don’t know about?
Position A: E-mount (mount retracted)
Position B: A-mount (mount protruded)
Voila!! A camera born to take E- as well as A-mount lenses.
RIIIIGHT… then what is the native mount supporting both E and A mount?
I’m assuming that ‘dust blocking plate’ is built into the camera body and can be activated before unmounting a lens. Great idea!
i have thought about the dust blocking plate before, it seems trivial not to have. hopefully lenses get them too for their back element!
I’m wondering why don’t just they use focal plane shutter for that… Covered by another patent probably?
Exactly
thats what ive been thinking too! unless of course the default position for the focal plane shutter is up (sensor exposed) and it consumes power for the solenoid to close the shutter and therefore camera is always draining power to close the shutter
That is indeed the reason. Plus it’s not that strong and accidentally hitting it can get expensive too….
Well it does drain battery for some extent, but changing lenses doesn’t take much time.
If there are shutter curtains at all. With an electronic global shutter,physical shutter curtain are not needed anymore.
Why not replace the plate with an collection of nd filters, I was considering buying the holymanta vnd to mainly block the sensor from dirt when out side
Looks like Sony foresees their flash system as such a failure that future designs don’t have any hot shoe at all.
At least they kept the shutter release button.
tosser ! Back to our bridge.
why are you keep talking about the flash system in every post??
What flash system? The one we had, or the one we don’t have?
The whole patent text does not contain the word “mirror”. I don’t see any space for it anyway. So it seems that this is the end of the SLT mirror.
Read number 20 for the too figure, AF sensors in the adapter means SLT mirror too. Regardless, the patent is on another subject to begin with.
top figure*
A- and E-mount gives a clumsy solution that wount happen!
If its the end of ‘a-mount’ why are they releasing a 50 f1.4 zeiss is which has ‘outsold expectations’ on preorders?
Right… Since we bought so many before time… They can’t release any on time… Right…
More likely Sigma sold Sony a batch of faulty USM motors as a friendly gesture of industry sabotage.
SSM is Sony designed and fabricated.
Um…Sigma doesnt use “USM” motors, they use HSM motors. And Sigma doesnt sell them to Sony.
That’s just as misleading as saying this:
Hey everyone, CTPhotographX.com is a new website where you can buy high quality potatos and other produce at discount prices! Check it out!
What’s the difference between HSM and USM Billy5? It’s like saying “car” and “automobile”.
And yes, I have no evidence that Sigma makes motors for Sony. Just a little harmless sarcastic joke friend, designed to set up a punchline for covering up the real reasons Sony is holding back production on the ZA50. How many delays are announced before it becomes laughable?
But thanks for sending folks to my web site to look at the new tuberous crops.
No, USM can be a ring type motor or small silent motor connected to a set of gears. HSM is always a ring type motor. Try again with a different example.
Sigma HSM comes in two varieties, the same as Canon USM.
Those Sigma HSM with focus windows and non rotating rings are ring HSM, like the 35/1.4. These are equivalent to Sony SSM mechanisms.
Those without focus windows and with rotating focus rings are geared HSM, like the 17-50 EX DC OS HSM. These are equivalent to the Sony SAM mechanisms.
Just YouTube search “AF Sound – Sigma 17-50mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM” and see for yourself.
Looks like a takeoff from the Canon Breech lock for early FD lenses… only the breech is in the adapter instead of the lens. Set the lens straight onto body and let the lever lock it rather than rotating lens on bayonet.
Why bother? Is anyone having trouble mounting a lens onto their camera? Is anyone having trouble keeping their sensor clean? And it still looks an ergonomic train wreck with the motors sticking out the bottom, and top now?
Again and again we’re going to get more “innovation” that no one is asking for… yet not get anything that is asked for repeatedly… like lenses, moveable SLT mirrors and a flash system.
Sony needs to change their slogan from “Make.Believe” to “Shut up and Adapt”.
You are mindlessly bashing innovation. Nice.
Is there something seriously wrong with your mental faculties, or are you just a prick in general?
Mindlessness doesn’t point out the function of the mechanism. Do you believe I’m mistaken in my description? Do you not have any experience with the Canon Breech lock, which was dropped in favor of a normal bayonet mount? Do you not shoot enough to notice your thumb will sit very close the that lever, and naturally slide across it as you rotate camera vertically?
Sony users want a normal flash hot shoe, but will soon have an abnormal lens mount that no one requested… and it might even be made of plastic.
Are you having troubles putting a lens on your camera enough that you need a new mount?
Do you like the lumps sticking out of the adapter? Very elegant don’t you think?
Are you collecting LAEA-1, 2, and 3 adapters, and can’t wait for this new one to complete your collection?
In the mean time, where are the tools and features that photographers have been asking for years… removable mirrors, a flash system that works as advertised, HSM/USM versions of the ZA85 and ZA135, and some pro quality constant aperture f4 zoom lineup… weather sealed lenses?
Look friend, I’m Sony’s biggest critic because I’m their biggest fan… not a fanboy tempted by tech masturbation… but a real Alpha Mount user since 1985. I want real tools that make photography more reliable and consistent… not jingle bells.
Sony should concentrate on making consistent kit, and stop relying on Nikon to make the most out of their sensors. But instead we’re stuck in photo limbo with half the new cameras with iISO hot shoe and the other half with the worst ISO design in history, until the middle of 2014.
The only mindlessness that you’ll find here is Sony’s lack of commitment for ensuring their customer investment confidence. How do you feel about a trickster company that downgrades the a58 with less LCD resolution and movements, slaps a plastic lens mount on it, and calls it an upgrade from the previous a57? How do you feel about a company that gives no secure locking pin mechanism for those who purchased an F58am flash just before they changed the hot shoe? And they’re still selling it new. Gives the retailers some heavy decisions to make when considering their stock shelves filled with outdated Sony kit.
Sigma is already refusing to make all their lenses for Alpha mount. Do you think this new mounting gizmo will give them confidence to pursue further Sony development? Where are all the 3rd party flash makers rushing to the new Sony hot shoe? I can’t point to all of them not making anything for Sony any longer. Countless new smart options available right now for native iISO. What solution does the new mount provide that iISO didn’t already have covered in spades?
Do you like the idea that our new ZA50 will cost $1000 more than any competitor offering? Do you like the repeated requests for weather sealed 70-400 (a lens which is most likely to be used in the elements)… or do you overlook that unanswered request and praise the pretty new white paint job as an upgrade?
Mindless bashing? I think not Sir. My hopes for the Alpha user are extremely mindful.
How many people do you think will read your bible long posts when you’ve already shown to be more than repetitive? Just a thought.
What’s your point about repetitiveness? Every corporate advertiser strives for it…
They wouldn’t bother if it didn’t sway public opinion.
If you only want to hear repetitive advertiser ad-hoc, falsely touted as progress (which rarely delivers) then be my guest. But there is another side to that advertising which ignores repetitive user base requests and trashes legacy investment (yet soothes it over with the promise of adapters). They certainly don’t advertise the downgrades, the compromised functionality and the incompatibility issues that working photographers wrestle with in front of clients. Isn’t that news just as important?
Rotating camera to vertical portrait position… looks too easy for accidentally engaging the lever and watch my lens fall off. I sure hope they do some field testing rotating cam from horizontal to vertical in fast paced environments with this thing.
37b
If that’s the code for requiring extensive field testing of a new design, then I’m all for 37b.
Why 2 imaging devices? one rear and one at the top?
doesn’t that look like a kludge?
“Our solution to dual mount is to build 2 cameras in one body”
/E
I assume the ‘dust blocking device’ retracts into the upper bulge when the lever is in one position: the bulge at the bottom looks like the LA-EA2 AF module.
The ‘dust blocking device’ could be an angled mirror, enabling it to be in place or moved out of the way. Trick would be in positioning it accurately enough so that it synched properly with the AF sensors.
I wonder if that dust blocker is really a dust blocker at all. looks like a flippable slt mirror. if the hybrid is not adapter-based, they are going to need to find a way to get it out of the way for e-mount lenses. (and I don’t think they can make af work well without a mirror with a-mount lenses, not in a long time) guess they want to patent the mechanism without relieving how they plan to use it. just figuring.
The dust shield is pretty much just a darkslide. Makes me wonder why no one thought of it sooner.
Because dust can settle on the sensor also when you are not changing lenses. This will not prevent dust on the sensor, just make it less likely.
Exactly, this looks like more trouble than it is worth. Another moving part to malfunction and it won’t guarantee that the señor stays clean. A better solution would have been a fixed glass shield in front of the sensor that permanently sealed the sensor from all outside air and dust.
It is already there – Low-Pass Filter. Why you need another glass
and in front of the LP filter you additionally got the IR filter.
I like the idea though. Ofc you’ll need professional service anyways once the dust gets behind the IR filter but it will happen less frequently. For instance during spring when there’s lots of pollen flying around, something like this could help keeping your sensor clear for much longer.
Yes the ir filter is there, but it pretty much sits right in front of the sensor. If you put a piece of glass even 10mm in front of the sensor it would help the dust more than right on top of it. A dust spot on the ir filter is going to completely block some pixels, while if that spec of dust were caught out 10mm or more in front of the sensor it wouldn’t be as noticable. When the glass sits right on top of the sensor it might as well be the sensor as far as the impact of dust on it.
Fixed glass also collects dust. Maybe cheaper to replace/service though.
Perhaps…just maybe, they’ve found a way to give the ‘dust shield’ some sort of dust repelling electric charge when lenses are changed?
Boy now that would be slick! Excellent vision you have there. Send that idea to Sony ASAP!
Simply use the flange distance of A-mount, when attaching E-mount lenses then move the sensor forward…
Sony needs to beat the competition (C/N DSLRs, Samsung, Panasonic, Olympus) in focusing speed and accuracy, perhaps sensor-shift focusing module like Contax AX can help!
PDAF + IR focus-asist to provide distance information and drive the lens to the target focus distance and then precision focus by CDAF using sensor-shift technologies.
Use the Hassel MF body design or Camcorder design instead of DSLR design as the lens mount will be very very thick!
I have one of those in my hammer drill. The huge lever switch I mean:-).
Looks very much like the old way of mounting Canon FD lenses, where the lens did not turn, but only a ring.
I can certainly see the advantage, because turning the entire adapter isn’t always possible – depending on the tripod used.