Could the A or E mount support a medium-format sensor?

Phyltre · Mar 4, 2016

There is a rumor that a 50MP Fuji MF camera may be released in 2017 with a Sony sensor. If a Sony medium-format camera gets released this year on (presumably A) mount, that would make sense since Sony usually delays third-party cameras using their own sensors by a year. There are also several rumor sites dropping hints that new sensor tech is on the way from Sony, while Sony continues to tease that 2016 will be more revolutionary than 2015 was in terms of cameras released, and Hirai himself was conspicuously fondling Nikon DSLRs at CP+. No way that wasn't a PR hint.

That seems to support speculation that we will get new "professional" Sony models this year both in A and E mount--E to match the G Master lenses/update the A7__ line with A6300 advancements, and A mount because Sony has repeated themselves several times that A Mount is not dead but the A7__ family has come so far they've eaten up a lot of what would have been most of the A Mount business (of course I'm not implying they're equally useful in all the same situations), leaving the A Mount in search of new justifications beyond just "A7RII with faster AF" (although that would probably be enough for many!) I could certainly see Sony justifying A Mount by placing it above the A7__ family by virtue of medium-format going forward.

So my question is, could the A Mount theoretically support a medium-format sensor? If so, I suspect that will be its territory going forward. If not, maybe they have other plans.

meanwhile · Mar 8, 2016

JimKasson said:
meanwhile said:

Given lenses are round (ignoring baffles for a minute), and mounts are round, could they go square? Or even 3:4 instead of 2:3? Makes a smaller camera more practical if you don't need to go vertical to shoot portrait.

Click to expand...

Sure. I'd like that, being a long time Hassy shooter. But I bet it would be a tough sell to many.

Actually, I think 6:7 would be ideal. 36 x 31mm, rather than 36 x 24mm. 24MP sensor would become 31MP, 1:1 square crop would be 26MP. Portrait crop 2:3 would still be 18MP.

JimKasson · Mar 8, 2016

meanwhile said:
JimKasson said:

meanwhile said:

Given lenses are round (ignoring baffles for a minute), and mounts are round, could they go square? Or even 3:4 instead of 2:3? Makes a smaller camera more practical if you don't need to go vertical to shoot portrait.

Click to expand...

Sure. I'd like that, being a long time Hassy shooter. But I bet it would be a tough sell to many.

Click to expand...

Actually, I think 6:7 would be ideal. 36 x 31mm, rather than 36 x 24mm. 24MP sensor would become 31MP, 1:1 square crop would be 26MP. Portrait crop 2:3 would still be 18MP.

36x31 needs a bigger image circle than 36x24.

JimKasson · Mar 8, 2016

meanwhile said:
JimKasson said:

meanwhile said:

Given lenses are round (ignoring baffles for a minute), and mounts are round, could they go square? Or even 3:4 instead of 2:3? Makes a smaller camera more practical if you don't need to go vertical to shoot portrait.

Click to expand...

Sure. I'd like that, being a long time Hassy shooter. But I bet it would be a tough sell to many.

Click to expand...

Actually, I think 6:7 would be ideal. 36 x 31mm, rather than 36 x 24mm. 24MP sensor would become 31MP, 1:1 square crop would be 26MP. Portrait crop 2:3 would still be 18MP.

A square sensor with the same image circle as a FF camera would be 30.6x30.6.

Jim

meanwhile · Mar 8, 2016

JimKasson said:
JimKasson said:

36x31 needs a bigger image circle than 36x24.

Click to expand...

Only a little bit though, and only if you are using the whole thing at once.

What the heck, just make it square.

meanwhile · Mar 8, 2016

JimKasson said:
JimKasson said:

A square sensor with the same image circle as a FF camera would be 30.6x30.6.

Click to expand...

Sure, but I *want* a bigger image circle.

Phyltre · Mar 9, 2016

ProfHankD said:
It would make more sense for Sony to just come out with a larger mount that can swallow an E adapter....

I agree! Ultimately this reasoning is what motivated me to make the post; it just seems odd (for someone walking up new to the ecosystem at current day) that Sony is supporting two mounts that both seem to cap out around the full-frame level. I'm just trying to think of ways that Sony could be smart about keeping both alive (as they keep promising)--but it just doesn't make sense to produce two lines of "pro" lenses forever (given the existence of G Master E-Mount, and legacy A-Mount lenses.) I'd understand if A-Mount had any compelling feature beyond E-Mount, but sensor size would be the only thing worth duplicating lens lineups for in my opinion. At some point you have to wonder (to be fair, everyone is already wondering, certainly) if Sony is disingenuously stringing A-Mount owners along, or honestly keeps reformulating their next model in response to market movement.

Either they're lying about keeping A-Mount alive or they're wasting resources by duplicating ecosystems, surely? Is there a third viewpoint I'm missing?

RubberDials · Mar 9, 2016

JimKasson said:
Dunno about he A mount, but the E mount can barely handle a FF sensor as it is. I suppose it would be possible to design a line of lenses that had exit pupils close enough to the sensor that they could illuminate a big sensor through such a small hole, but why would you want to saddle lens designers with that kind of handicap?

And forget about trying to use Hassy, Pentax, Rollei, or Contax MF lenses on such a camera. The mount would occlude the periphery of the sensor.

Jim

--
http://blog.kasson.com

So many people don't seem to realise this. E mount was designed for aps-c and Super 35. You don't have to be as smart as Jim to work this out - aside from the fact that it's smaller than A-mount, compare it to m43 which is also much larger than the sensor. No-one seems to believe that m43 was designed for a bigger sensor.

The problem is in believing digital sensors have the same requirements as film and can occupy similar sized spaces. All current FF cameras with film-era mounts vignette horribly. Many have required software correction and modifications of the sensor corners to avoid smearing and colour shift. Wide angle lenses always present problems.

The Sony A7 series is a marvel. It is a camera system that Sony never intended to make but was persuaded to by the incessant clamour for a 'Full Frame NEX'.

120 to 35 · Mar 10, 2016

JimKasson said:
meanwhile said:

JimKasson said:

meanwhile said:

Given lenses are round (ignoring baffles for a minute), and mounts are round, could they go square? Or even 3:4 instead of 2:3? Makes a smaller camera more practical if you don't need to go vertical to shoot portrait.

Click to expand...

Sure. I'd like that, being a long time Hassy shooter. But I bet it would be a tough sell to many.

Click to expand...

Actually, I think 6:7 would be ideal. 36 x 31mm, rather than 36 x 24mm. 24MP sensor would become 31MP, 1:1 square crop would be 26MP. Portrait crop 2:3 would still be 18MP.

Click to expand...

A square sensor with the same image circle as a FF camera would be 30.6x30.6.

Jim

stevo23 · Mar 10, 2016

Phyltre said:
I'm just curious what Sony's next moves are since they're claiming to stay full-steam in E Mount but still release new A Mount bodies. They wouldn't have released G Master lenses in E Mount if A Mount was going to stay their only professional lineup, in my humble opinion.

You've come to the right place - there are people here who can read the future very accurately in both quantity and quality. One guy even gave us the exact dimensions and specs of the A7RII down to the last comma...

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Could the A or E mount support a medium-format sensor?

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