The two hanging are cuttlefish. Have a large bone like in a mango. Often see the "bone: on the beach.

My Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is capable of great pictures under many challenging conditions. This is almost entirely due to the software package. There are some things where I need my Sony Alpha but the reality is that I only carry it on planned photoshoot days.
With night modes, long zoom, stabilization and 100 megapixel mode plus remote shutter using the button on the S Pen it takes care of 90% of my shots. Now do instant edit for crop, contrast, sharpness etc. Using the high resolution screen and pictures are ready to share in 5 min. I can even use in RAW mode for later enhancement. I rarely use tripod mount as the image stabilization is so good.
Samsung can amortize software cost over 5 million phones!
It's a brave new world, a long way from my first Pentax in 1970.

Great point. The camera sensor has specific sensitivity - like a specific film.
Just as we can push film effective ISO by processing so we can push the sensor array sensitivity to trade off exposure time, depth of field and noise.
The artistic freedom to use the sensor in a specific way broadens the limits to get a desired final result. The choice of a camera body/sensor defines the range of possible results, the choice of lenses then expands or limits the range.
Choosing the camera body is the most critical step. Choose wisely!

The main difference between phone cameras and real cameras is the amount of computational activity.
For a high quantity device, millions of units, computation is almost free while hardware costs on each unit.
The relevance here is that "noise" can be hidden with computation. With phones it is mainly in the device while with cameras it is mainly in post processing.
5 years from now you will be able to preset your image appearance (with computational processing) on MILC and we will be another large step away from Ansell Adams.
The latest OM system (Oly) is on this pathway.

You need "O" rings. Industrial rubber rings. Available in many thicknesses and diameters.

Have you considered a chest mount? Your body takes the weight of your gear and you can move to track flight.

My thesis is that Postprocessing, even relatively heavy processing that Photoshop can produce, is a way to approximate the reality of a photo.[/quote]

So how many of us actually believe that the Mona Lisa painting is a "photrealistic" copy of what she looked like. More likely she represents what Michelangelo visualised her as!

Ansel Adams would do some dodging and burning when making his prints.

Years back I commissioned a catalog cover. The photographer took 15 - 20 minutes taking pictures and 8 hours in the darkroom to get the result we wanted. The result was definitely "ART".

Today we have more advanced tools. Even oil paints are totally different from when the artist had to create his own colors from basic pigments. So a picture is a (wait for it)... pigment of the imagination.

The need is for a "Gear Appreciating Spouse".

When I need new gear I ask her about a trip to somewhere and new gear gets bundled in to package.

Three nights at Tahoe is worth one body and a lens - lol.
Make it a foursome and guys get a photo day while girls go shopping (their GAS - oh no)

One of the things people miss with panoramas is the center of rotation. The sensor needs to be further from target than rotation point. A spacer on tripod to move camera back by an inch or two will help - the exact amount by experiment.

The camera and lens manufacturer has their own highly (technically) skilled photographer who has intimate knowledge of all the tech specs and settings. They then can take many images of a given "scene" with adjustments to get the optimum raw file.
These reference images are carefully selected and tuned to make the most impact in the chosen media.
Knowing the "NEW IMPROVED" features like dynamic range allows for the setup to make most of each feature.
Of course when I then go and buy the camera I have to go through the learning curve before I can hope to duplicate the result. In the meantime I can do better with old camera I know than with new camera I am learning.

A couple drops of glycerin or even baby oil on the plastic will spread out and fill the gap between surface and plastic and eliminate reflections. Wax on, wax off of course to keep it clean.

Apart from "Auto ISO" add some additional light with LED panels - a lot of them have adjustable color so you can tune to environment. I have just a small one but it makes an amazing difference to those poorly lit corners. Since typically only one person is opening a gift at one time it is easy to move tripod or just swivel the light. Turn it off when not taking pictures.

I believe the white level is at the reflections along shoreline, brighter than foreground snow,. Would not make any significant change.

In reality there is not much more development to come for new cameras and lenses. There will always be small advances, correction of errors etc.
The big developments today are in post process software and that requires a new skill set to enhance the images without taking them past reality.
As many have already pointed out, when you start with a better image out of the camera you can finish with a better final image.
A few years ago our computers were going through evolution with faster processors, faster memory, faster connections. Now speeds are staying same and the development is reducing power consumption. The same thing with cameras where sensor megapixels was big growth needing new bodies to keep up. Now the development is reducing noise (and power consumption). Now mirrorless tech is driving the "need" for new bodies and lenses to keep manufacturers in business.
When I am shooting it is my gun, ammo and skill that determine the pattern of holes in the target. Taking a picture of the target I can improve the focus, exposure and color of the image and that is fine. The software will also allow me to move the holes from bullet penetration and improve my score, but the fact that I can does not mean that I should!

With my Samsung Note phone I just plug a thumb drive into USB/USB C adaptor and onto phone. Download all the files I want to thumb drive. Works for phones with USB C connector. Don't know about Apple lightning connector but I think that is also two way data.