I haven't use a "real" camera in a vacation in about 4 years. Just before our May trip to Central Europe, I purchased a used Canon 200D (aka SL2). I already own several EF and EF-S lenses and I got an itch to shoot with a DSLR on this trip.
The DSLR became a problem even before the trip started. With the additional weight of the camera, I was about 1 kg over my 8 kg carry-on limit. We finally decided to redistribute and check in my wife's bag.
I only wanted to carry one lens and I was torn between the tiny but limited 24mm f2.8 pancake and the more versatile 18-55mm IS zoom. I also own a 50 mm f1.8, 55-250mm IS and a 28-105mm.
I opted for the 18-55 for its range flexibility and its image stabilization for dark churches. The 18-55 is light and is not a large zoom. But I still found the whole set-up very unweildy. Having that camera swinging from my neck, I was always worried about banging the lens against something, or losing the lens cap. We also had a few rainy days in Berlin and I had to expend extra effort to keep the camera dry.
I would often take the same shots with both the DSLR and the phone. The bottom line was that I could take better photos with my Pixel 7A phone more easily than with my DSLR.
Even with the image stabilized lens, it would take me 5 or 10 shots to get a sharp, blur-free image under dark challenging conditions. What I really needed was a tripod for the DSLR, which is not permitted in churches or museums. On the other hand, it would only take me 1 to 2 shots with the hand-held phone under the same conditions. Under really dark conditions, I could use the Pixel night sight.
When the sun came out, the skies tended to be washed out in the DSLR. I had to go through the extra effort to slap on a circular polarizer. But even then, the camera photos could not match the vivid blue skies produced by the Pixel 7a. The smartphone's algorithm is so much better than my DSLR.
Quite often, I have no choice but to shoot into the sun. With the strong backlighting, faces or buildings are often just black masses with the DSLR. I had to constantly adjust my exposure compensation or bracket my shots to find a usable photo. On the other hand, the Pixel 7A automatically corrected for the backlighting and provided better details in the shadows, with almost no effort.
Both have HDR, but the DSLR is primitive in comparison to the Pixel 7A.
Basic cropping and levelling of an image in the Pixel 7a is a breeze. On the other hand, it is quite cumbersome in the DSLR.
The final nail in the coffin is Magic Eraser. When taking travel photos, you always end up with unwanted tourists in your shots. With Magic Eraser, I can erase the truly obtrusive ones and improve the photo image. I often transfered the DSLR photo files to my phone so that I could use the Magic Eraser on them.
Of course, I know I could shoot raw and post process my DSLR images. However, I shoot about 200 shots per day. It would take a tremendous amount of time and effort to manually fix every photo taken by a DSLR. Why bother, when the Pixel can do it almost effortlessly.
Ten days into my 20 day vacation, I stopped lugging my DSLR and left it in the hotel. Never say never, but I doubt I will lug a real camera on my future trips.
PS. I cannot call, text, email or do a map search with my DSLR.