[2] The E-mount supplements Sony's α mount, allowing the company to develop more compact imaging devices while maintaining vignetting with 35mm sensors.

Initially, E-mount was implemented on the Sony α NEX-3 and NEX-5 consumer-targeted devices with APS-C sized sensors.

[6] The first third-party camera to use the E-mount was the Hasselblad Lunar, announced at Photokina on 18 September 2012 and released in early 2013.

In September 2017, Sony revealed its VENICE high-end digital cinema camera, which records in 6K 16-bit raw format.

8 fps with live view (HI) Battery can be charged with micro-USB cable or in external charger.

8 fps with live view (HI) Battery can be charged with micro-USB cable, USB-C-cable, or in external charger.

[13] Getting a license for the specifications requires approval by Sony and the signing of a non-disclosure agreement.

This has encouraged lesser known lens companies to construct full-frame prime lenses with an E-mount.

Numerous affordable sharp full-format manual prime lenses with big apertures are available with an E-mount.

Nearly all manual lenses can be attached with simple ring-like adapters to Sony's mirrorless cameras, such as for Canon FD, Minolta MC/MD, Leica M, and many others.

Manual focus lenses that transmit Exif data will require an adapter with electronic contacts, which are generally more expensive to produce.

Adapting autofocus lenses to Sony's older E-mount cameras (such as the Sony α6000 and α7) can often be ineffective due to the inability of the camera body to effectively lock-on to a subject, resulting in either hunting or missed focus.

Most A-mount lenses can be used via the Sony LA-EA1,[18] LA-EA2, LA-EA3, LA-EA4, or LA-EA5 mount adapters, which provide electronic contacts and mechanical aperture control.

They allow the camera body to control the aperture of the lens and provide automatic exposure and Exif data support.