My name is Pauline Simon, a commercial, documentary, outdoor filmmaker, DoP and photographer from the French Alps. After spending my teenage years streaming on YouTube, my passion for sport, travelling and the outdoor took over and helped me to grow my filmmaking and photography skills. I have become more adventurous with my trips around the world which grew my passion for documenting. What drives me every day is the opportunity to witness unique moments and capture them. I now mix my work between doing short documentaries, and commercial work in France and around the world.

For my test of the Alpha 7C II, I took it to the Chartreuse region in France, where the mountains and views are stunning and inspiring to me.

You were one of the first to test the Alpha 7C II – what were your first impressions and standout features for you?

Being a creator focusing on outdoor content, the most important thing is to have the best image quality in the lightest package possible, as I usually need to trek to the places I shoot. What I immediately noticed was the compactness of the Alpha 7C II. This camera is so small and light yet so powerful and sturdy.

As a pure hybrid content creator, I need the best quality for my images and short films so I was pleased to see the Alpha 7C II can deliver great details in photography with its 33 Megapixel full frame sensor and still deliver 4:2:2 10bit in video. Beyond the image quality, I was very pleased with the natural and rich colours it produces in both. For outdoor content, you are really trying to show unique places in nature in their best light and the Alpha 7C II delivers on that.

Finally, I was delighted to find the new AI based autofocus in this camera, and I have to say, I’m a big fan. When I shoot models or characters in my documentaries, I am always on the move and don’t have time to pose that much. The autofocus detects and tracks the face or eyes of the subject, even from behind. This is really helpful for my type of work as I can focus more on the surroundings of my subject and concentrate on being creative with my framing.

How will those features impact/help the type of photography/content creation you and others in the same field do?

Whether it is for a short documentary, commercial work in photography or video – I need my gear to be great at everything without sacrificing.

On the photography side, the image quality and overall camera experience makes it easy to get professional results for clients. On the video side, it is the same and provides great colours out of the camera which makes it easier on the whole process.

The combination of both really provides more flexibility on where you can go shoot and provides a platform that lets you focus on being creative and in the moment.

The Alpha 7C II aims to provide professional and enthusiast photographers the image quality, operability, and autofocus performances they need to carry out their projects. Do you think it achieves this goal?

After testing it, I think it delivers the flexibility of shooting the highest quality run & gun style. If this is your style of content creation, then this camera is perfect for you. The experience makes it easy to shoot as you have all controls at your fingertips with its dials, touchscreen, and new menu. It is an experience you would expect from a modern camera, and it is really a luxury nowadays to have a camera that can do it all. It enables you to focus more on being creative and less on the technical aspect of creating content.  For me, being confident with the equipment you use is paramount and the Alpha 7 CII delivers on that.

Lenses & accessories are another core component of creating images. Which Sony lenses and accessories did you use for your initial test and why?

For this particular shoot, I mainly used the FE 24mm f/2.8 G to test how lightweight you can go out and shoot with the Alpha 7C II and I was not disappointed. It is a real killer combo.

For my type of professional work, if I had to only bring one lens, I would use the FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II. It is the zoom lens I prefer because it is versatile, delivers the highest quality, and is surprisingly lightweight for this type of lens.

Finally, for specific shots, I used the FE 50mm f/1.2 GM. It has exceptional image quality, and its unique image rendition is really pleasing.

I must say – I think the best combo remains to pair Alpha cameras with G Master lenses. You can really take full advantage of the Sony Alpha cameras in both photo and video and get the most of the image quality they offer.

What advice would you give content creators who look up to you and your work?

Practice makes perfect. There is no secret to progressing in content creation. You have to make, unmake and remake your images all the time.  You need to explore different genres and try different type of content to constantly learn new techniques. But most importantly, do what you love. If you tell stories and work passionately, you will excel at your craft.

Nothing beats getting out of your comfort zone and try to shoot new situations. Don’t be afraid of failing but take pride in your work.

Finally, don’t compare yourself to others – you are brave enough to try! This is already an achievement and never forget to cherish and look back to what you have created.

Any last words?

Firstly, thank you to the Sony team for having faith in me and including me in the launch of the Alpha 7C II. It is an honour for me to be part of this project and to have the opportunity to present my work. Thank you to Yohan Dordolo for his help on the shoot capturing images of me shooting. And thank you to all the creative people surrounding me and inspiring me every day to elevate my craft.