Used RF non L gear depreciate rapidly, I pick up RF16 and RF28 for USD423. Combine with my 1st hand R50 is under 1k USD. Even if I brought all 3 items in MSRP, it's cheaper than latest flagship smartphones that hits 1200 USD mark. I do have bigger better f2.8 zooms and R6. However bringing these cheap gears for daily is safer and less likely to get rob.(Unless in Paris, anything will get robbed )
In the past, smartphone users trash talk camera users because the inability to produce straight out photos of back-lit scenarios. Cameras have to do HDR photos with PC/Mac post-processing. Whereas smartphones can get it without hassle. Nowadays Canon put the HDR Backlight Control in cameras below R3.
You, as a enthusiast/power user might think it's nothing special. But for others, it's. Everyone keep saying the best camera is the one you have with you, capable entry level mirrorless is what we need.
P. S. The Digital Teleconverter from R8 R50 are also better than smartphone's digital zoom(& Sony's Clear Image Zoom that only works with power zoom lenses). It is enough to act as pseudo zoom lenses.
Can't agree on some parts. value wise you cannot compete with smartphones, yes the latest smartphones costing 1200USD+, but it's not one buys the phone only to take photos, ppl buys the phone anyway, so it's like $0 extra value vs $423 for the RF 16+28. of course the dedicated camera and lens have superior image quality in most cases if not all, but you forget most ppl only need image for IG style of usage, so those micro details is really of no significance for most ordinary folks, not many ppl cares how sharp the eyelash is.
The phone is really pick out and instant snap, upload, while camera you always need to at least sync to the phone before the sharing action, and the phone is basically always charged and ready, while camera you need to take from dry box, recharge for a few hours before bringing out to use.
Make no mistake I am a all phone, trash camera guy, I am still using the 5D3 and L lenses I bought in the past 2 decades and no desire to upgrade quality wise, what I will only need is a new body if the 5D give way and get the adapter with a R6 or so.
Point is that it is difficult to attract new customers INTO PHOTOGRAPHY becomes much more difficult with the phones being well beyond good enough, even at $400 it's not really dirt cheap money for normal person, especially young ones, long gone are the days of you can only get dreamy bokeh and usable indoor/night handheld ISO from DSLRs. Back then you lure them into a EOS 350D with a kit lens for usable indoor photography, then one will be tempted for higher end lens and body for better features and results. Now for most ppl, buying a R100 with kit lens usually will just get them similar or inferior photos compared to the all AI assisted iphone photos, and only practically marginally better them after some learning, after which the desire to spend more and carry the huge L glass just stops.
The embarrasing part for camera vendors are that power users don't really need/want those AI features, we all have plenty of real tele converters, our choice and skill to use those picked zooms/primes, but for real layman who just want to take some great photos, the iphone that they will buy anyway is good enough to get what they want, so very few will even consider buying into the expensive and chunky (anything will be compared to a phone) system, easire to sell stylish and small form factor ones like the Leica Q3 or Fuji X100 than a ILC nowadays