A look back at Sony Alpha History – humble beginning

Sony was the first camera manufacturer to produce a mass-market full-frame mirrorless camera. The original A7 duo had a rather humble beginning. Announced a decade ago, on Oct 10, 2013, the system kickstarted with two camera bodies, The a7 and the a7R. The legendary a7s was announced a bit later, in April 2014. This camera boasted an incredible ISO range (still impressive a decade later), XAVC S codec, and could capture 4K video with an external recorder. As for optics sony launched one normal zoom, and two prime lenses. The kit zoom was a rather uninspiring 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS kit lens. Regarding its first primes, Sony took a road less traveled: Two ZEISS-branded, high-end lenses were launched. Both the compact Sonnar T* FE 35mm f/2.8 and the faster, longer Sonnar T* FE 55mm f/1.8 had to carve their own niche. Being slower and less affordable than most of their competitors, it was their build and optical qualities that had to be convincing.

Sony LA-EA phase-detect adapter (SLT). Image credit: Sony

Adaptable: E-Mount gained momentum

With excellent tech-oriented cameras and competitive pricing, the market reacted. Building a lens lineup is a long and complex challenge. The Sony-Minolta A-Mount, along with a unique SLT adapter, was enlisted in the effort. It was an impressive attempt, but in the end, those were the third-party adapters that turned the tide, enabling the use of Nikon F and Canon EF lenses – the latter, being fully electronic, were extremely adaptable and popular. With this newly gained abundance, the E-mount started its unstoppable momentum.

Becoming Alpha

As the decade progressed and the E-mount gained a substantial user base, we saw more manufacturers join the fray. SIGMA created an E-mount version of its venerable art series, TAMRON added some unique lenses, and Sony itself pumped out loads of new lenses. The days of adapters seem long gone by now, and those electronic contraptions are being used only in some fringes, such as Tilt-Shift optics, and in the long and fast professional tele segment, where the E-mount is somewhat lacking compared to other competitors.

Sony Alpha E-Mount lenses have grown into a huge selection over the last 10 years. Image credit: Sony

Sony’s E-mount is among the leading mounts in the industry. Spanning across multiple segments, from vlogging cameras to high-end cine monsters with lenses in all shapes and sizes. The journey continues on Nov 7th and you are welcome to join!

What products do you think will be announced? What do you miss in the vast Sony lineup? Let us know in the comments.