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Ryan Mense
Half Moon Bay, CA

Articles written by Ryan Mense

First Images From the Sony a9 Mirrorless Camera - Sports Photography With Full-Frame Stacked Sensor and 20fps

Last week Sony unveiled their most ambitious Alpha camera to date with the a9. The 24.2-megapixel mirrorless camera takes on the general form factor of previous a7 II bodies and packs in their latest photo technology with a strong emphasis on autofocus, speed, and removing distractions such as shutter noise and screen blackout in continuous shooting. This all adds up to a product that has the potential to make a large impact on the sports photography scene. Today I'm excited to share a number of images I shot with the Sony a9 of a range of track and field events plus hockey and ice skating.

Where Does the Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM Fit in, If at All?

Alongside the highly-anticipated a9 announcement, Sony also introduced the FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master telephoto lens. After the initial buzz and excitement over something shiny and new being announced subsided, I began to question why Sony released this lens at this particular time of intense market expansion.

Hands-On With the Newly Announced Sony a9: My Five Favorite Features

Earlier today, Sony announced the a9, a revolutionary mirrorless camera with a spec sheet that at first looks like it's full of typos. Did they really mean 20 frames per second? Is it actually 693 phase-detect autofocus points? Continuous burst raw capture up to 241 frames? But sure enough, the a9 delivers on it all. After spending a brief time getting familiar with the new camera, here's what made me most excited about using it.

Five Awesome Travel Videos Found in the Fstoppers Community

The Fstoppers Community is home to the many talented readers of this website where we share images and video in our portfolios as well as talk shop in the Discussion Groups. The other day I was going through and watching some of the incredible videos the Community has shared in their portfolios, and here's a selection of some of my favorite travel videos that will have you craving adventure and inspire your own creations.

Fstoppers Reviews the Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Contemporary Lens

Super-telephoto lenses are essential to the craft of sports and wildlife photographers who are shooting great distances away from their subjects, as well as to other creative photographers looking to flatten or fill the frame to create unique images. Enter the Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary which is a full-frame super-telephoto lens priced just under $1,000 and comes in Nikon F, Canon EF, and Sigma SA mounts.

Fstoppers Instagram Hits 300K Followers, Here's the Top Posts and Other Analytics from Our Account

I'm happy to report that over this past week the Fstoppers Instagram account made it to an impressive 300,000 followers. Additionally, photo tags of #fstoppers broke the 100,000 mark on the social media app at almost exactly the same time. Want to see what images were most popular or the other analytical data pulled from an Instagram account this size? Let's have a look.

Fstoppers Reviews the Lowepro StreetLine BP 250 Camera Bag

Best suited for the those that run light on camera gear, the Lowepro StreetLine BP 250 is a great looking pack that has just enough features to be called a camera bag at all. Its unique collapsable interior pockets allow for a couple photography items to be stored securely, otherwise it’s free-for-all with what you choose to throw inside. This well-made bag is not without issue, however. Check out what works and what doesn’t in this review.

Sony Announces FE 100mm f/2.8 GM and FE 85mm f/1.8 Lenses

Today, Sony has revealed two new prime lenses joining their full-frame outfit with the FE 100mm f/2.8 GM and FE 85mm f/1.8. The focal lengths of these two lenses are highly popular for portrait photography. The FE 100mm f/2.8 GM is aimed towards imaging perfection, while the new FE 85mm f/1.8 offers a more affordable and lightweight 85mm option in the Sony full-frame lineup.

Astropad Studio Aims for Professionals to Use the iPad Pro as a Graphics Tablet

The team that brought us Astropad, the popular iPad-to-Mac graphics tablet, has debuted an all new advanced product aimed at creative professionals. The new Astropad Studio features customizable gestures, keyboard support, unlimited shortcut sets, and sports Liquid Extreme which offers five times faster performance over the standard Astropad.

First Look at the Sony a6500 APS-C Mirrorless Camera

In early October, Sony announced a new addition to their a6000-series of APS-C mirrorless cameras. This camera, the a6500, is the new flagship of Sony’s crop-sensor line and costs $400 more than the previously released a6300. So what are we getting for that extra cash? Check out my first hands-on look of the 24.2-megapixel Sony a6500.

Peter Hurley’s Latest Photo Tip Tells Tall and Short Couples to Spread 'Em

Peter Hurley, father of the squinch, has a great new tip for people on both sides of the camera. This quick video demonstrates a way for tall people to still look good while being photographed next to someone more height challenged. The days of hunching are over; All hail the spread.

Hands-On With the Newly Announced Sony RX100 V Compact Camera

Last week Sony announced the RX100 V, their latest Cyber-shot compact camera, alongside the new crop sensor flagship a6500. Sony is quick to point out that the new RX100 V model features the world’s fastest autofocus speed, the world’s most autofocus points, and the world’s fastest continuous shooting for any compact fixed-lens camera. I had a couple hours of hands-on time with the new camera, and here are my first impressions.

Sony Announces a6500 Mirrorless Camera with Touchscreen and 5-Axis Image Stabilization

Today Sony announced a new addition to their APS-C E-mount camera line, the a6500. This 24.2-megapixel camera takes over as the flagship model for Sony's crop sensor interchangeable lens system bodies. There are many upgraded features over the a6300 that was first announced just in February of this year, so let's dive right in.

Arca-Swiss Announces New Tripod Heads and Camera Support Products

It seems that almost all the major brands of the photography industry have something new to share at Photokina 2016, and Arca-Swiss is no exception. The France-based company announced several new and improved camera support products this week that you’ll want to check out.

Sony Isn’t Quitting the A-Mount System, Announces New a99 II Full-Frame DSLR

Lately it’s been a road of uncertainty for A-mount system users, as Sony remained quiet on specific plans for their DSLR line while making leaps and bounds in the mirrorless world. Today Sony has made their intentions clear by announcing the new Alpha 99 Mark II, a 42.4-megapixel camera with 12 fps continuous shooting, internal UHD 4K video, 399-point autofocus, and 5-axis in-body image stabilization.

Aurora HDR 2017 Photo Editing Software Packs New-and-Improved Features

Today Macphun launched Aurora HDR 2017, their latest version of the HDR photo editing software for Mac. The new software features an improved user interface, faster performance, and more features that Macphun claims will provide “more versatility and higher quality images than before.” Aurora HDR 2017 will officially release on September 29 for $99, but there is special pre-order pricing plus bonuses for new and current owners of previous versions available if purchased before then.

One of the Most Ridiculous Photoshoots Ever: Recreating a Scene From 'Top Gun'

If you’ve ever felt the need to take on a crazy project despite consequences, photographer Blair Bunting knows exactly how you feel. In an effort to recreate a scene from the classic movie “Top Gun,” Bunting put his guts where his mouth is and attempted to photograph a jet flying 500 feet off the ground while his own jet flew upside down above it only a short distance away. This video captures that remarkable feat, along with the preparation that came beforehand, and you have to check it out.

Musicbed Completely Revamps iPhone App With a New Design and New Features

Musicbed, the popular music licensing platform for creatives looking to perfect their stories while supporting musical artists, has announced an all new app for iPhone. Touted as not “just some update,” the app has been completely rebuilt to share the same experience of the new Musicbed website that was launched earlier this year. With the Musicbed app you can bring your synced wishlists with you, discover new music, and collaborate with others to find the perfect sound for your shared project.