Originally posted by beholder3 For many applications any current $100 smartphone can deliver results which are no different from what a R3, A1, Z9 can deliver yes.
The Pixel 6 is a pretty high priced item with comparatively low (to nonexistent) advantages versus much cheaper phones or old point and shoots.
The crappy sample images above could have been done 10 years ago with a dirt cheap point and shoot and nobody would be able to tell the differences.
But all this in no way means that outside clearly defined applications no other requirements exist, where a phone is sheer and utter crap.
To suggest so is like stating that since you can do great photos with a DA18-55 a DFA600/4 lens "is not needed".
$600 for a Pixel 6 is hardly what I'd consider "expensive" for a premium smartphone. If you aren't familiar with the advantages of one over an old point and shoot lacking additional updatable and expandable onboard software for photo processing, immediate upload for sharing, with the added benefits of GPS tracking, phone and messaging service, payments systems... I'm sure you know all about that.
Advantages over your budget $100 smartphone camera? I suspect you've not seen comparison articles, and certainly not read them? PetaPixel for example (?) praised the Pixel 6 low-light capabilities in an article just a few days ago. Apple iPhone 13 reviews come to pretty much the same conclusions. The newest smartphone camera's and software are massive improvements over those available 5 years ago.
Your old cheap smartphone is not the photographic equal of the most recent ones.
https://petapixel.com/2021/11/04/google-pixel-6-pro-astrophotography-review-stellar-results/ https://www.dxomark.com/google-pixel-6-pro-camera-review-a-big-leap-in-image-quality/
I love my Pentax gear, investing a few thousand more in it just in the past 12 months. I recognize the personal value.
My always with me Pixel6Pro and my also very good Pixel 4XL and iPhone 11 are the first smartphone cameras I'm comfortable with carrying in place of one of my camera/lens combos for more casual outings where photos will almost certainly play a part. In fact I've been exceptionally impressed with the results in restaurants and clubs, in my living room and outside in the evenings. My Pixels deliver very acceptable results for most of those scenarios, and so much faster and easier and convenient to deploy.
Your $100 smartphone camera they are not, and yeah I bought more than a few of those for my son, the great smartphone destroyer, probably at least a dozen over the past three years from LG, and Moto, Samsung, and one Asus, . I know the photo quality from them intimately.