Sony continues to act like a young startup in the digital imaging world. More often than not, Sony is hitting the nail on the head with its new cameras. The A7 Series is proof positive that Sony is doing it right.
One thing that frequently comes up in conversations about Sony’s camera systems is lens selection. In those conversations, people invariably bring up as a positive that you can get a lens adapter that allows you to use Canon EF lenses on Sony’s A7 series cameras.
The results of using these adapters like the Metabones and Techart are pretty solid, complete with autofocus functionality. But there is always a “but.”
It’s not quite native, which isn’t expected. You’re relying on a third-party device crafted together by a manufacture that is much, much smaller than Sony or Canon. You are never going to have the quality control and performance consistency that global giants like Sony and Canon are going to demand.
That’s why I think Sony should build an A7 series camera that features a native EF mount. No Sony E-mount option at all – just build it with a fully functional EF mount. If Blackmagic can do it with its range of cinema cameras, Sony can surely do it.
If Sony really wants to shake thinks up in the mirrorless and DSLR markets, piggy back on all those Canon shooters’ bags of lenses and provide an easier alternative that doesn’t require some Chinese lens adapter to use your Canon lenses.
Such a move would add some bulk to the body because of the additional flange distance required for the Canon EF mount as opposed to the E-Mount. However, I think there are a lot of photographers who have a bag of Canon lenses would welcome some additional size for a fully function EF mount on Sony’s full frame cameras.
If Canon doesn’t have a fire lit under it yet with the aggressive moves Sony is making at relatively affordable prices, Sony moving into a product line with a native EF lens mount would surely cause Canon to take notice of what the competition offers.
I would *so* buy a Sony if it had an EF lens mount!
I’m happy with my Canon lenses, and being able to use them on a Sony mirrorless body would be awesome!
I mirror your thoughts totally …lack of EF mount is the ONLY thing stopping me buying A7 cameras !!
This is an awesome idea, Eric.
Am I hallucinating as I read this “think piece”? [Insert notorious on-court John McEnroe quotation here.]
With the mostly well-built — and, for the most part, broadly compatible — Canon EF-to-FE mount Commlite smart adapter available new for around $70 (for purposes of comparison)… why would I want an A7-type camera body that MIGHT couple electronically, via… yes, an adapter… with only [some?] Nikon-mount AF lenses, in addition to the Canon-mount glass… and only in MANUAL focus mode?
Why would I want to cripple a full frame Sony’s compatibility to mount ALL Sony FE lenses, ALL Minolta legacy lenses, ALL top class rangefinder lenses… and some decent vintage SLR glass, as well (Konica, for example)? …And why would Sony WANT to do that?? — when Sony could just build a FULLY compatible LA-EA3 equivalent adapter for mounting Canon EF/EF-S lenses; just as they did for the Minolta/Sony A-mount glass!? …One with the smart chip PROPERLY configured in optimal fashion for virtually ALL the Canon lenses on a Sony body [speculatively, of course]? …And sell it for the same price as the far less desirable, far less useful LA-EA3?
I’d certainly go for THAT alternative in a heartbeat over the pricier, NOT fully compatible, Metabones IV; or the cheaper Commlite or Fotodiox units as an accessory for my A7! …And BEFORE even stopping to consider the adapter’s much enhanced value with a next-generation Sony hybrid phase detection/BSI sensor-processor in a Sony A7 III, or any similar variant!
Doesn’t every party involved in such a transaction benefit from the native adapter approach? Again, why would Sony want to leave money on the table, catering to some small minority of Canon FF owners… while simultaneously announcing to the world, in effect, that most of their own lenses may kinda suck (a little… and some, maybe significantly more; again, by implication) — or that they are noticeably overpriced — going up against Canon glass?
Also, such a specialized A7-series body would surely soon become a depreciation monster, compared to the proven value retention record of the best conceived adapters — the Sonys, in particular! …And why would Canon roll over like a submissive pup when another company, in effect, builds a pirate Canon-mount body?? What, Canon CAN’T build a competitive EF-type mirrorless body of their own (regardless of any shortcomings of the down-market M1 and M2 MILCs)? …Just give up the market share advantage… just like that??
Geez Louise, am I missing something here!?
Canon has a superior lens collection (at this time), and Sony has a superior mirrorless body.
If Sony had a better lens selection, it wouldn’t make sense. But by doing it this way, Canon users can easily transition into mirrorless, without the need to buy new lenses, or the flaws of an adapter.
As to why Canon (and Nikon) are not bothering to even keep up with Sony in the mirrorless department, I have no idea. …other than to speculate that they have been working on something very impressive, and we just need to keep waiting for it.
But your idea of a Sony-made adapter would be great. Even a body with a big gaping hole around the sensor where you could screw in adapters for Canon, or Nikon, or Sony. Then the bodies are more versatile, and Sony can sell adapters AND bodies to everyone.
Thanks for your response, Jared… but regarding paragraphs 1-3 — and not to be flippant or disrespectful at all — tell me something I don’t already know, as they say! I might think nearly all prospective customers for the hypothetical Canon alternative (either one) would understand those points, as well.
As a Pentax/Contax-Zeiss/Cosina-Voigtlander/Nikkor-centric guy with regard to lenses — all Pentax-compatible without adapters (some limitations involved), I might note — I have already added two Canon EF type lenses for my A7/A5000 combo [Pentax K3, alternatively]… and plan to add two more shortly — either the EF 16-35mm f.4.0 L; or the compact, ultra-portable EF-S 10-16mm, if I decide to wait for lower auction prices on the former… or for the upcoming HD-FA Pentax 14-28mm FF ultra-wide zoom… Then, the super bargain EF-S 55-250mm STM, principally for auto-focus reach at the very long end w/ minimal carry weight: I prefer prime lenses primarily [Ha!], including MF types, up to the 200mm FL (+ the 2 top-line Tamron/Kenko 1.4x tele converters for Nikkor and for Pentax/Contax, respectively). My interest in action photography at the long end is very limited, though I’m already well-covered for that, Jared: I’m a deliberate working, IQ-first sort of shooter. FYI.
Your idea for a screw mount, multi-adapter system is something I have also considered (and think desirable); but I believe there is virtually zero chance of such a thing appearing — you have to be a pretty hardcore IQ hound to think that a well-made, close tolerance adapter in conventional form is just not good enough. I might just be that “crazy”; but few others will be, I expect. But your implication is correct — lens alignment issues are not trivial.
And that’s one reason why I like the no-adapter approach Pentax bodies permit (Leitax-style bayonet changes and M42 Pentax-native adapters excepted)… and I include slightly modified Nikkors [reversible/convertible], which will mount solidly and directly, if not that securely, to the K-mount! I think the new, but postponed ’til spring FF Pentax DSLR is going to be a killer, even an A7R II killer, perhaps (I may slightly exaggerate!)… and, after 16-18 months or so, I suspect, a far more advantageously priced bargain by comparison. I will do some serious thinking about my options at THAT time. Good luck with your own deliberations.
Sony is in business to sell lenses that they make not Canon lenses so there is zero chance of Sony doing that. Blackmagic has no lenses to sell. I use my Pentax and Nikon DSLR lenses on my Sony A7r, VG900 , Panasonic GH4 and Samsung NX1 using low cost adapters .
Joe, carefully selected pre-owned Nikkor AI/AI-S and Pentax prime lenses can be quite the $-bargain; or a notably more satisfying, more characterful alternative overall, to the typically employed, modern, bulky, and somewhat ‘plastic-y’ ‘Canikon’ lenses… if you can employ the primes to advantage vs. the zooms, and you like ’em enough to “bother”. The better Canons and modern AF Nikkors do, of course, fill some niches for some users best. But where’s your *precision* manual focusing option when you use a Canon or Nikon DSLR with fast MF or adapted lenses? Luckily, I snagged an Opti-brite Katz Eye focusing screen secondhand for the Pentax DSLRs, if I decide I still need that with my “new” A7 now on hand.
BTW I also have four FE lenses (55mm F1.8 Zeiss, 35mm F2.8 Zeiss, 70-200mm F4 G OSS, 28-70mm OSS ) and many native m4/3rd lenses ( 42.5mm F1.2 Leica OIS, 25mm F0.95 Nokton, 75mm F1.8 Olympus, 100-300mm OIS, 7.5mm Rokinon, 14-45mm OIS . I only have the 16-50mm kit lens for the NX1 so I use K mount and Nikon mount DSLR lenses with adapters on it.
You have clearly thought carefully about your own requirements, Joe. That’s an interesting group of options you’ve assembled; it makes good sense. For myself, I really can’t find a sensible fit for any of the better ($$-?) FE lenses as yet: I prefer the 35mm to 42mm FL range for a “normal” (e.g., my Voigtlander 40mm Ultron, or Canon 40mm STM… or Nikkor 28mm/2.0 or Pentax-K 28mm/3.5 on APS-C), with something “long normal” accompanying it on certain outings (55mm/2.8 Komine-Vivitar macro… 57mm/1.7 Minolta or Auto-Topcon 58mm/1.7… or HD DA Pentax 70mm Ltd. — it’s really FF in coverage — among other options). I like the new 85mm Zeiss Batis, all right, but can’t justify the cost and weight (!), especially, vs. my 77mm Pentax Ltd., 85mm/2.8 Sonnar, 90mm G-Sonnar, and 100mm Pentax WR macro… etc., etc. I prefer small, quality primes and versatile, “horses for courses” options, as you can see. An AF Tamron 17-50mm/2.8 PK (for APS-C) or MF, FF Tokina AT-X 35-70mm/2.8 (kind of rare in the Pentax KA mount) give me alternative/complementary options up the middle, as needed.
I DO expect to slot in the 28mm/2.0 FE, Joe, when I can pick one up $100 or so cheaper than current auction prices, mainly for the auto-focus and fast aperture — a natural partner for the 40mm MF Ultron! I also have the 31mm Pentax Ltd. (for now), which can give me a one lens option bridging those two FL’s (it’s a “long 31mm”, they say)… and also bridging my 25mm/2.8 Zeiss ZS (NOT compact!) or Olympus OM Zuiko 24mm/2.8 (last iteration, and compact – yes!) and the prime quality, close focusing 35-70mm/3.4 Contax-Zeiss, mainly for nature and landscapes. I’ll thin out the collection, I expect, when I see the next generation A7-series and know how I feel about the coming FF Pentax.
Thanks for sharing, Joe. I’m sure I’ve annoyed the plagiarizing-redacting-redundant little troll below once more; so that’s fun, too! — Idiot #2
Moderator, can you clean up the keyboard-glitch double post? …Or help, anyone, on some editing option?
Deleted.
Thanks for the assist, Eric.
Also, I’ll take this opportunity for an appended ‘edit’ to my post above. I would have better composed the last paragraph above by putting my response to an unconvincing criticism this way — “recopying-redacting-redundant…” That is more like the idea I had intended to convey in the first place; and it just makes more sense now, obviously. My error.
Hi Joe, you got to dig deeper than that:
Sony is in this business to sell image sensors. They pioneer sensors and cameras to develop, test and show off their sensor technology which the sell to Nikon and others.
Sony is not in this business to make and sell lenses.
Sony is letting Zeiss build lenses to avoid head on competition with Nikon and others.
Bengt, the bottom line is Sony is still in the consumer electronics business that includes video and still cameras along with lenses and there is zero chance Sony will come out with full frame mirrorless cameras with a Canon mount.
Sensors is just a part of Sony’s business just like Samsung. Go on B&H or Amazon and search “Sony” and you will see thousands of products including over a hundred lenses. I also see more Sony ENG cameras than any other brand just like what the Vatican uses when the Pope was here in the US last week. The Sony PlayStation consoles are a larger seller than the XBOX and Sony Pictures Entertainment is ranked third among movie studios.
Joe said: “… there is zero chance Sony will come out with full frame mirrorless cameras with a Canon mount …”
Agreed.
Are you idiots aware that the EF mount has to be licensed? Blackmagic had to pay Canon a lot of money to license it for their cinema cameras.
And what are the chances Canon is going to allow Sony to license the EF mint from them? Zero? Less than zero? Not to mention, it would make terrible business sense for Sony.
Al these people migrating to the a7 cameras from Canon are quickly buying a surprising amount of FE glass… Especially for a lens lineup that is supposedly sub-par.
Don’t knows what they’re doing– and that is, letting 3rd party manufacturers do the dirty work for them. Work the can’t and don’t want to do.
What license?
Do you have a reference for Blackmagic paying Canon for a license? That’s the first I’ve heard of that.
This all reminds me of a comment made by one of my supervisors: “It’s like driving a Cadillac to the candy store.” I’d bet you that Sony will not manufacture such an adapter.
I’d bet that way, too, James. It’s just that some fantasies are less fantastical than others.
Hi guys:
The conversation regarding whether Sony should make a Canon EF mount camera is interesting. I am a Canon user and I like Sony’s A7 cameras yet I am still still sticking to Canon cameras. If there is a Sony with EF mount I will be more likely to buy it. And there are many more like me in this world. I don’t care about whether one cannot use all old Minolta lenses or Leica lenses or whatever!!!!!
Since only a small minority of Canon and Nikon DSLR buyers ever add so much as one complementary lens to the kit lens they purchased with the camera, it is pretty much impossible to weigh your “vote” here, Yuvak. Perhaps you’d like to provide some context. With respect too my own comments, it is clear enough that they have been enthusiast-artist-pro oriented (because my own interests coincide); so those comments would only be relevant in part to most existing Canon users, even those employing a set of L-glass zooms. There is no single right solution at any budget level, of course.
I would advise you, though, that the A7 series — all of the models — are not well suited ergonomically for use with many of Canon’s better lenses of longer FL; and it has been exactly these lenses that have been seen by many Canon users as a principal advantage of this manufacturer’s lineup. Things can work out better, of course, if the lens is tripod mounted. In short, downsizing and ditching the DSLR is not going to be a very practical option for many (most?). You might want to consider the cost factors involved with keeping and carrying two bodies where you are.
Thanks for reading over my stuff and others’ here, and coming away with an overall positive ‘take’ on this thread.
One other option is Sony to acquire Metabones and make lens adapters with the required quality which will work seamlessly. They could end up selling less of their own lens but more A7 bodies, the math they’ll have to work out first.
Aren’t Sony already “there” with respect to having — and already producing! — a suitable adapter design (EA-LA3)?
From Sony E-mount to Sony A-mount, yes.
Not from Sony to Canon or Sony to Nikon.
Go to: http://www.metabones.com/
You are quite the contrarian, aren’t you? This is getting tedious…
Sony A-mount flange-back distance: 44.50 mm.
Canon EF, EF-S flange-back distance: 44.00 mm.
I give Sony enough credit for engineering and production expertise that I expect they could find a way, without too much trouble or expense, to modify their existing “shell’s” design.
…OR, they could go out and BUY ANOTHER COMPANY with an inferior, less cost effective design in order to accomplish the same goal.
In addition to being the camera expert here… you’re also quite the businessman, I see.
I see. You’re talking stone age. Most of us are talking about mirrorless A7Rxxx, E mount.
Here’s another big difference between us:
You are “talking”… while I ACTUALLY OWN the Sony A7-series and have already STATED EXPLICITLY in an early post my forward looking intention with regard to — yes, again — actually PURCHASING a 42mp FF upgrade.
Keep talking, big man. I’ll be out actually taking photos.
Don’t you ever get tired of embarrassing yourself?
From a consumers point of view yes, but in the real world no.
Everything is patented. You don’t get away with making Nikon or Canon mounts without a license to do so.
Sony is not about to upset Nikon because Nikon is one of their image sensor customers.
Sony is not about to upset Canon because Canon might one day be their customer.
Sony is in this business to sell image sensors. They pioneer sensors and cameras to develop, test and show off their sensor technology.
Sony is letting Zeiss build lenses to avoid head on competition with Nikon (and Canon).
Why would Sony not put the Zeiss label on their top of the line Sony 500mm f/4.0 G, 300mm F/2.8G II , 70-200mm f/2.8 G SSM II and FE 70-200mm f/4.0 G OSS Lenses if they are made by Zeiss ?
Because they are not made by Zeiss.
You posted “Sony is letting Zeiss build lenses to avoid head on competition with Nikon (and Canon).” And the Sony G lenses are in direct competition to Canon and Nikon pro lenses. BTW there are no Zeiss camera lenses made in Germany like my Zeiss 7×42 FL binoculars that was made in Germany. Sony uses the Zeiss label on lenses on their low cost ($128) P&S cameras like the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W830 so your post makes no sense. Panasonic has the same deal with Leica like my 42.5mm F1.2 OIS m4/3rd lens.
If you think in black and white, I don’t expect you to understand.
Let me get this straight, you think Sony has a few Zeiss lenses in their mix just so they don’t upset Canon and Nikon ? Really ?
You’re getting closer. Look at the introduction dates of Sony, Sony-Zeiss and Zeiss lenses.
Panasonic does the exact same thing with Leica and I don’t think it has anything to do with Canon or Nikon getting upset with their lens lines.Samsung rebadged Pentax DSLRs and lenses with the Samsung /Schneider badge starting in 2006 for a few years.
I will give you one more clue: Sony sells image sensors to Nikon and a few to Canon.
Get it ?
Everyone knows that Sony sells sensors to Canon, Nikon , Apple etc but there is no way that has anything to do with Sony using the Zeiss badge on many of their lenses to not upset Canon and Nikon IMHO. You must be the only person on the planet that thinks that way.
Two things:
(1) Patent terms are for 20 years in the US. Canon’s EF mount was introduced in 1987. You think Metabones and other third-party start-up shops are licensing that lens mount?
(2) For clarification only, Canon is already a customer of Sony (e.g., Canon PowerShot G7 X).
I’m not saying Sony will introduce such a camera, but they should.
I think it would be huge on the prosumer and higher level. One of the reasons I haven’t personally bought a Sony A7 model is because I have all these Canon lenses. There are many, many more like me and that’s the customer Sony is after with the A7 Series. For a lot of us, it takes years to build up a collection of lenses. Selling your system for a fraction of what you paid so you can buy a Sony system is a hard pill to swallow.
Again, I’m not saying Sony will. But they should.
Food for thought though, Sony is on record endorsing users to use other lenses via adapters with its lenses. If anyone would make such a move, it would be Sony.
I can certainly understand your interest, Eric. The only thing I’d pull out of my previous comments to mention here is that I don’t know why it would not make more sense for Sony to take the “baby step” first and produce a native adapter — testing the waters, so to speak. There would not be much holding them back from taking step-2 whenever they decide the time is right, if this bit of ‘market research yielded positive results overall. I would think they’d want to know sooner rather than later how much effect supporting Canon so forthrightly might impact the sales of Sony-branded lenses.
That having been said, I would never criticize the desire of anyone for gaining a closer approach to ‘practical perfection’ on their OWN terms and saying so plainly. So I’m with you there. Go for it! In a very similar vein, I might ask for a Pentax DSLR with a “semi-universal” K-AF mount! You may have noticed that such a mount has been available in aftermarket form for DIY retrofit for over two years now. That one takes Pentax, Contax-Yashica, Olympus OM, and Nikkor lenses (with thin shim) without any additional adapters. Nice concept! While I hesitate to fool with a K3 on my own in that way, I just saw that the predictably misunderstood Pentax KS-1 was selling last week (with kit zoom) from one well established retailer for just $199 (limited quantity — gone, for now). Hmm…
In regards to “testing the waters”, I would submit that Metabones and other third parties have done that already.
Given the level of interest of how well Canon lenses work with these adapters on Sony A7 models in a variety of reviews and forum posts, I’d say the waters are ready for fishing.
I’m well aware that the idea I’ve presented is well outside the realm of normal, but Sony has positioned itself as an innovator and has had a cavalier approach to the digital camera market ever since it bought out Minolta’s camera division in 2006.
Remember the A330? That weird but effective second sensor in the prism housing that transmitted a live view image to the rear LCD.
Sony has been on a tear since it entered the market and if anyone has the balls to pull a stunt like I’m suggesting that should, it’s Sony.
And guys, I appreciate the discussion from all viewpoints we’re having here. I acknowledge that my suggestion is probably unrealistic, but Sony would have a new customer if it happened.
Sony would have more than just a few new customers, for sure!
Thank you for your thorough reply, Eric. I hope you get your wish, as long as I get my adapter! The only matter I’d wish to clarify regarding your argument is this:
No professionally competent decision maker for a major corporation concerned with the manufacture of high ticket consumer products would ever THINK of taking the reading of “reviews and forum posts” as an alternative or even complementary form of market research. Such anecdotal “evidence” should invariably(!) be regarded up front as FAR too biased to be reliable… or even useful. There is just too much chance of a costly & unproductive “wrong read” on that sort of unqualified ‘evidence’. Unqualified evidence gathered by uncontrolled means is really not genuine evidence at all, in a strict sense.
You might wish to look at what you personally, as a product manager, take to represent the collective thinking of these few enthusiasts — who are not principally your core customers, nor all that much like them, BTW — as a “heads up” indication… that you might want to go do some homework in proper fashion! …But as no more than that.
I am not saying that insufficiently trained and educated corporate managers (or many of those in small businesses), or those whose authority may be compromised by a particular “corporate culture”… who DO fail to take heed of such standard criteria (maybe for “budgetary” reasons)… will not push ‘forward’ anyway. One can read about the consequences of this sort of thing in the business media pretty much any week.
What you are suggesting will likely say more about the personal biases of the evaluating individual(s) than about, in the end, economically-relevant perspectives among that subset of prospective customers you’d be attempting to target.
This comes from an individual who created and ran the industrial advertising division within a major corporation doing international business. B.S., Psychology, as well… FWIW.
I agree wholeheartedly with where you are coming from. Real business and market research should be driving the decisions. That said, it’s funny how two big players like Canon and Sony can have totally different approaches based on their perceptions of the markets.
The HDSLR boom was not the result of well planned market research and strategy. It was all a big accident that rocked the filmmaking industry and we are still feeling the aftershocks of the Canon 5D Mark II. Canon would have never built that camera for that price if it knew what was going to happen.
On the mirrorless equation that we’ve been talking about in this thread, however, you’re right, it is based somewhat on anecdotal evidence (because that’s where the only answers to this proposal are found) but also comes from watching the market change over the past decade.
And, not all market research leads to a hit. How’d that Sony QX lens camera work out for them? When was the last time you saw anyone use the QX1 on their smartphone.
And I’m not saying Sony should do market research on forums and blogs, but those are the anecdotal sources that are accessible for me to point to.
Sony has built a rebel (no pun intended) image from its recent moves among enthusiasts with the A7 and other prosumer cameras. And I would argue that enthusiasts and pros are its core customers for these product lines. I think an EF mount option would continue to build that image in a positive light.
Again, I get the argument for the value placed in anecdotal evidence and I’m not submitting a business plan here. I’ve done my fair share of quantitative analyses as a Sociology major and, as an attorney, I understand the value of evidence.
As a consumer and photo industry writer for nearly a decade, it just feels like the right kind of product to me.
Is it gonna happen? Doubtful. However, I stand by my initial sentiment that it should happen.
Cheers!
Because of the flange distance, you need an adapter anyway. Don’t expect Sony to make a camera that does not accept Sony lenses.
The answer is Metabones intelligent adapter.
One problem remains: The Sony pixel optics are optimized for a shorter flange distance and wider light angles.
The game at Sony is now BSI type sensors. We do not yet know how that will play out across the range for adapted lenses… regardless of which approach to fitting them is taken. I’d like to think Sony would prioritize a broad non-native lens compatibility, but that is just my wishful thinking.
Sony’s concern about lenses, adapted lenses, or camera customers is secondary compared to their interest in developing and selling image sensors to “real” camera manufacturers.
Your retort, Bengt, is completely irrelevant to the particular point I was making. The misdirection is transparent. Give it up.
Middle Class, yes.
Observer, no.
So you think that Nikon simply screwed these presumptive paying licensees when they modified their D5xxx line model to have incompatibilities with existing 3rd party lenses [see D5300 + Sigma lens compatibility, for one recent example]. It hardly matters how much intention Nikon brought to bringing about this effect. I believe you need to think again here…
You make no sense.
Do you even know the first thing about the SPECIFIC incompatibility example I cited? I seriously doubt it. Shoot first, think later… Correction: It makes no sense to YOU.
Your language is convoluted, hard to understand and many times it makes no sense.
Didn’t think so…
I bought the original A7 when it first came out because it’s so much lighter than my Canon 5Diii. I do primarily travel photography and need a versatile zoom lens, like the Tamron 28-300mm.
The closest (and only equivalent) Sony lens is the 24-240mm, which is just as heavy as the Tamron and has less range at the long end. And it was significantly more expensive. In other words, no advantage.
Bottom line, I still carry the heavy Canon and leave the lighter Sony at home.
Even if Sony came out with a EF mount camera, the only advantage for me would be a tiny decrease in overall weight.
I’ll grant you that photographers with other goals, such as portraits, landscapes, street photography, etc. might be better served with a Sony EF camera.
But it probably doesn’t make sense for me.
24mm is much more useful than 300mm IMHO. Do you walk around with a 28-300mm & 5D hanging from your neck most of the time ? I use my A7r with FE 35mm F2.8 or FE 55mm F1.8 Zeiss lenses more than my FE 70-200mm F4 G OSS and it is much smaller than a 5D . Whatever floats your boat I guess. I shot with the Pentax 6×7 MF during the film days and I am done with the big heavy DSLRs with the flipping mirror and OVF that is like a buggy whip compared to the EVF in my full frame Sony cameras.
You obviously missed that I do mainly travel photography. That requires both wide angle and telephoto lenses. Rather than constantly switch lenses, I prefer using a zoom that can do both.
That’s what floats my boat, as I explained in my post.
While I can see where you are coming from, especially where you are a Canon shooter it would make sense for you and others with an already complete supply of Canon glass. However, if Sony were to do that it would hinder you from being able to buy the smaller lighter Sony E mount lenses as the ones you like became available. This would be in my thinking a mistake for any manufacture to do. The idea behind having adapters available makes it easier for people to switch from Canon to Sony but not necessarily continue to use exclusively Canon lenses. Sony seems to be working at a pretty good pace considering they are designing lenses for a pretty much brand new camera system (the full frame E mount as opposed to the apc ones.) While they need to make them quickly in order to sell cameras they like all large companies must have bean counters who say things like “WHOA!! we need to make some money on these things before you build a million of them.” Anyway I am wicked tired here and hoping these random musings make sense to someone other than myself.
Not random at all T.F. All solid points.
Thanks for chiming in.
They make perfect sense. See my own commentary here. Thanks for delaying your snooze!