Why doesn't Sony make cameras with Canon and Nikon mounts?

Is there any kind of law that prevents Sony from using other parties mounts? Sony has some amazing camera technology… Too bad they take Sony/Minolta lenses.

Actually there are patents that prevent camera companies from copying others lens mounts without licensing by the owner of the patents.

I for one am happy that Nikon is not going the route of translucent mirrors and electronic viewfinders. As an action, sports and editorial photographer, those two features found on Sony cameras would make my job so much more difficult.

* the translucent mirror dims the viewfinder
* electronic viewfinders have lag, thus I would miss many of my shots especially when shooting sports.

NOTE: When I need to shoot video, I rent a video camera.

Sony and Minolta lenses aren't bad. Branded lens mounts are not compatible with others because they are proprietary, like many other aspects of other technologies.

Patent issues aside, they won't make cameras that use other mount systems because they want you to spend your money on THEIR products, not a competitor's.

If you were a Nikon man you could ask why Canon and Pentax don't make lenses for Nikon. Over the years different camera system designers have devised different mounts fior good mechanical and electronic reasons. That's life, like asking why Ford doesn't make engines for G M cars. Live with it. In times past some Minolta lenses were in advance of Nikon and Canon lenses of the same period. Some people have changed their entire camera system just to be able to use one lens of a different brand, when that lens has seemed to fit in with their vision of the world.

Would you advocate a law that makes us all drive Ford cars? Some communist countries were like that.

There are mount adapters that enable you to use most any lens on a Sony Nex, often functions such as auto focus is not available, but they will focus and meter correctly.

This opens a whole world of high quality lenses such as a Leica Summilux, Angenieux or Zeiss/Yashica lenses which will leave any Canon or Nikon lenses in their wake, good though they are, there are better.

Patents only last 20 years, so there no reasons except manufacturing costs and design problems such as lens mount to sensor distances to not using EOS or Nikon mounts, the truth is both leave a lot to be desired, Nikon cameras need to know the aperture for instance, Sony cameras just meter accurately what they see.

The ability to use any lens it can focus on infinity is a major plus of mirror-less cameras.