People have said and many would agree, the best camera is the one that's with you. (Surprisingly, there is a book with the exact title: http://amzn.to/1PcD6xi) Smartphones have made taking much easier, and the quality of pictures have improved a lot over the years. Also, with the abundance of apps and improvements made with AI, taking and editing pictures into unique piece of art/expression made photography accessible and more attractive to many. But I was not a big fan of smartphones and did not convert to it until 2010~2011.