If you have mirrorless camera

I still have a Canon 600D, almost a decade old now still going strong takes good photos, Most recently used in last family trip and Diwali.

haven't felt the necessity to upgrade, although it doesn't have 4k video or many other creature comforts. have thought to get a newer full frame, will take the plunge whenever I get crazy deal.

For day to day photos or weekends I just use my phone (s23) which also takes good photos.

tldr get a apsc interchangeable lens camera, mirrorless or DSLR your choice, it should last a long time.

(If on a budget i'd still prefer canon dslr over anything else, mature ecosystem, cheaper nice lenses available)

Bought a Nikon Z30 1.5 years back just before my son turned 1. Had used it on multiple occasions but mostly limited to family outings or special occasions(trip and all).

For other usage, I use my phone itself.
Would definitely agree that the picture quality is way higher than smartphones. The video quality is also great(using a mic on the camera helps even better for audio quality).

Mirrorless camera becomes useful when you want to print photos and put up portraits. The picture comes in great quality compared to smartphones.

At the time of purchase, it costed me 60K. I feel that’s it’s a good investment knowing that you will keep the camera for more than a decade. And you just need to buy lenses for different kinds of photography if you want to pursue photography seriously as a hobby.

For me its an Impulse purchase. Laying in a corner. I have a FZ1000. I don’t travel much these days. And most times I only take family selfies or pictures of children. I have a iphone se and my spouse has a pixel 7a those proved sufficient for that use case. Easy sync to google photos.

Impulse purchase for me. Actually, I used my DSLR a lot but then shifter to mirror less, now lenses of ML are insanely costly at the same time phones have improved a lot. So my big investment is freezing in my cupboard for almost 4+ yrs

Got an a7iii on a more or less impulse buy during covid. Learnt a lot about photography and practiced (YT, insta tutorials)

Once you know how to use such gear - you will see that phone lenses cannot even begin to compare. I’ve saved more than what ive invested (3.5L on cam+ lenses) on self shooting my own pre wedding + a few other family functions 😂

I bought a Fujifilm X-T2 back in 2017, primarily for travel and family photos. I absolutely cherish the camera and the photos it clicks - the warmth, the grain in B&W and of course, a real depth of field.

There are several factors when deciding to purchase a camera - learning to use it, understanding your preferences for post-processing and finally, carrying it everywhere.

The best camera is the one you have with you - whether it’s a smartphone or a dedicated camera. It’s a highly subjective decision - a smartphone serves the same purpose of taking photos, but usually takes away control over the experience itself.

Would advise that you either rent or borrow a friend’s camera for your next trip or family event / night out. If you can’t bear lugging around the camera and spending time going over the photos later, then perhaps a smartphone would be better.