The Online Photographer

I think a smart phone should be included. Though I know some photographers still resist on principle, it's hard to imagine a contemporary enthusiast not using one as his or her "always with me" camera. And always having and using a camera in one's day-to-day life seems to be a distinguishing characteristic of an enthusiast. So it's important to decide which "always with me" camera and how to use it.

With that said then an ILC, which seems to be where you're headed for the most part, becomes a partner to the phone, or vice-versa I suppose. So which one makes the best partner?

If you include a smartphone then think about including something like the Fjorden grip which turns the whole phone-using experience into something akin to using a ‘proper’ camera.

Hmm. Missed the original post hope these thoughts are still of use.

Overall: Nikon Z5. Best FF mirror-less bang for buck. Exquisite and inexpensive native primes and a handful of good adapters for all the vintage glass you could ever covet (I plan to have:
Nikon F -> Z
Nikon S -> Z
Leica M/LTM -> Z
M42 -> Z
Canon FD -> Z )

All of that, New, will cost me less than my Leica M 240 did used. I look forward to buying one for my birthday in September.

DSLR? Nikon D810. Just as good, if not better, than anything newer and boat loads cheaper.

Compact? Olympus Pen F m4/3.

As for phones, I bought a new smart phone on Friday. A Motorola Razr 2023. While talking to the salesman, I sat my Leica M 240 down on the counter and simply said "I do not care about the camera in the phone. I use a real camera. I have other things I use a phone for."

I'm hoping that you'll decide to include a 4/3 model - a pretty good case could be made for the Panasonic G9 II or OM System OM-1 (or the just-released Mark II).

The former is a big enough upgrade on the original - new 25MP sensor, PDAF focusing, etc - to warrant a look by enthusiasts, as it's a very competent all-around package, with particularly excellent subject tracking, even for video.

The latter is at the forefront of in-body computational photography, with a computational ND filter (plus GND on the Mark II), 50MP High Res shots, and focus stacking, as well as improvements to Pro Capture that allow raw image capture from before the shutter button is pressed. Much of this is enabled by fast readout from the OM-1's stacked sensor, which has been improved with a larger buffer on the Mark II. For action and wildlife photography, the OM-1 has features that compare favorably with bodies costing twice as much (or more) from other companies, and remains quite compact for a camera with its features, while also maintaining 4/3 historical lens size advantage vs larger sensor cameras. It also has one of best OLED EVFs on the market, at 5.76 million dots.

I would add a fixed-lens camera that no one has seemed to mention yet.

The Canon G1X III is an APS-C camera, lighter than the X100x and smaller in most dimensions, yet with a very usable 24-70 zoom ('tho a slow one!), weatherproof, stabilized, built-in flash, 24mp. A better all-around take along street/travel camera with these features cannot be found.

OK, more suggestions for the fixed-lens category, a brotherhood of unique offerings from Sony:

Rx1R II A "full frame" fixed focal length with lens aperture settings and 35/2 lens, lighter than the x100x and smaller in most dimensions, but with more mp.

RX100 VII Smaller than Ricoh GRIII in most dimensions, yet with eye level finder, stabilization, superior autofocus, external mic jack and 24-200 equivalent zoom

RX10 IV 24-600/2.4-4 Zeiss lens, super AF, aperture ring and manual focusing ring, weatherproof, built-in flash, 4k vid...

There probably are serious photographers doing serious work with smartphones, but there's also no doubt that, for many serious photographers, phones fill the niche pioneered by high-quality pocket compacts in the film era (Olympus, Rollei et al), i.e. the go-everywhere off-duty snapper, note-taker, limited-but-capable last resort, etc. If such cameras deserved a place on that era's "enthusiast" list, I think so do smartphones today, at least generically.

I know the proprietor of this establishment is not a fan of lens adapters, but Canon's and Nikon's (and possibly other?) mirrorless systems rely on proprietary adapters for their usability and value pitches, making official what was always for some a desirable feature of mirrorless bodies. This might be worth a discussion, or at least a caveat, especially if the audience is the wannabe enthusiast.

One thing I don’t think you’ve been clear about here is the role of price. For example, the R8—others might say Z5 instead—represents tremendous value for the photographer who wants the benefits of a full frame mirrorless camera without spending extra money. But if you ignore price, the vast majority of enthusiasts would likely prefer the R6 II.

For compactness the flattop/rangefinder Olympus PEN-F m4/3, with its metal body and front mounted creative dial for easily toggling back and forth between color and monochrome modes.

Check out this video on the PEN-F. It reminds me that Mike makes occasional car/camera analogies too:

A MINI, an Olympus Pen F Digital, and the Concept of 'Fun' by Mark McMahon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-wKcpylGXs