Jonny Gios (@jonny.gios) is a photographer based in the Lake District, UK. Originally from Manchester, Gios moved to the Lake District where he's been pursuing landscape, wildlife, event and street photography seriously since 2020. “This bag is primarily for landscape photography,” he explains. “It’s what I would take for a sunrise to sunset day shoot. It’s not too heavy and can fit in everything I need, including extra clothing and emergency supplies. Being in the Lake District you just never know when you need a lens change to capture something that takes you by surprise!” We caught up with him to learn more about his versatile kit for landscapes and beyond.

Product Preview – In This Article You’ll Find:
–Sony Alpha 7R V
–Sony Alpha 7 IV
–Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master
–Sony 14mm f/1.8 G Master
–Sony 24-105mm f/4 G

Cameras

Sony Alpha 7R V: I love having my Sony Alpha 7R V in my bag. I know that I can rely on this combined with my Sony 14mm f/1.8 G Master to get me some nice, wide landscape shots. I know using the Sony Alpha 7R V that afterwards in Lightroom I can still edit and crop the image without losing any resolution with its 61-megapixel sensor. It’s the perfect camera combination to crop in without the need for carrying a huge lens that can add weight to a bag when climbing the fells.

Photo by Jonny Gios. Sony Alpha 7R V. Sony 14mm f/1.8 G Master. 1/50-sec., f/14, ISO 100

Sony Alpha 7 IV: This year I fell in love with my second camera after I dropped my Sony Alpha 7R V on an Aurora shoot in May (ouch!). The Sony Alpha 7 IV is highly versatile. It has that 33-megapixel sensor that gives me crisp, detailed images. I also love its impressive autofocus capabilities and real-time eye-tracking for both humans and animals. Just the other day I was able to change cameras as a group of Herdys ventured out to see me – and was able to capture their brilliant facial expressions.

Photo by Jonny Gios. Sony Alpha 7 IV. Sony 24-105mm f/4 G. 1/1000-sec., f/4.5, ISO 64

Lenses

Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master: For the last two years I’ve carried the Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master  with me. It has been my ultimate go-to lens for landscape photography. It shoots wide enough to get a scene but if there are distractions you can quite easily zoom in and re-compose your image. The other reason why I love this lens is that if I’m shooting a landscape and there’s a waterfall nearby, I can quite easily adapt to a longer exposure with my Kase filters. I love the 2.8 aperture for low light situations and sunrises to capture that little bit extra without bumping up the ISO. The durable design of the G Master is perfect for the conditions in which I’m using it within the Lake District.

Photo by Jonny Gios. Sony Alpha 7 IV. Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master. 2/5-sec., f/11, ISO 50

Sony 14mm f/1.8 G Master: This is the newest member to come into the bag and there’s room for more! The Sony 14mm f/1.8 G Master gives me an option if a composition isn’t getting it all in with my Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master. I can swap it out for my Sony 14mm f/1.8 G Master to everything in the frame I need. A good example of that is a lone tree near to where I live – I just couldn’t get everything in frame that I wanted with my Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master , but the 14mm coped really well with it. Being such a fast lens, it also handled the low light really well.

Photo by Jonny Gios. Sony Alpha 7R V. Sony 14mm f/1.8 G Master. 1/100-sec., f/7.1, ISO 125

Sony 24-105mm f/4 G: The Sony 24-105mm f/4 G lens was the first Sony lens I got with my Sony Alpha 7 III. Since upgrading from my Sony Alpha 7 III, I didn’t want to part with my kit lens. It is so versatile and when you just need that extra reach it accommodates whilst not being overly heavy. It's helped me out in many situations when I’ve not wanted or not been able to do a lens change. The shot below was taken at this year's Photography Show at the NEC – and I was able to photograph the model standing at the back of a crowd as the reach of the lens enabled me to capture her.

Photo by Jonny Gios. Sony Alpha 7R V. Sony 24-105mm f/4 G. 1/1000-sec., f/4, ISO 320

Accessories

Spare Battery: It seems silly to mention a spare battery, but you just never know if you’re on the road and you leave your camera on…get to your next destination and your camera is dead. Don’t leave home without it.

Leofoto 365C Tripod: I see any tripod as like your tires on your car. There are many budget options for tires, but they wear out quickly. I like to have a tripod that is robust and going to withstand the rugged terrain of the Lake District.

Photo by Jonny Gios. Sony Alpha 7R V. Sony 14mm f/1.8 G Master. 15-sec., f/1.8, ISO 1250

Gittos Airblower: If I’ve left the house without this, I’m in trouble and potentially will lose shots or just lose sleep not getting the shot. It’s a really valuable piece of my kit.

Cleaning Cloths: I have them in all my bags and always have a stock of them just in case I run out. They are ideal for wiping moisture off lenses and cleaning the front of a lens before you shoot or whilst you're shooting in light rain (although I don’t do that often).

Rain Cover (not pictured): I don’t often shoot when it's raining, but if I’m caught out and I’m not finished with a shoot I have an emergency plastic cover. Many people also use shower caps to protect their gear.

See more of Jonny Gios’ gear on Instagram @jonny.gios.