For most of my life, I used a single-lens reflex camera. I picked the habit up from my father. My mother, for some reason, cannot deal with even the simplest point-and-shoot camera.
I started taking pictures in earnest during my undergraduate years, and bought my own SLR on Canal Street in New York (a Minolta, so I could use my father's lenses). Inspired by friends who did their own darkroom work, I started to shoot black-and-white, buying it in bulk and "rolling my own". I did this until about 1984, when it became too time-consuming.
From about 1985 to 2005, I shot mostly slide film. I don't have physical possession of the slides any more, but I do have digitized copies.
I've gone steadily in the direction of convenience, starting with a Yashica T4, a good-quality point-and-shoot, which I used for snapshots (reserving the Minolta X700 for slide film on trips). In spring 2001 I bought my first digital camera, a Canon G2, and I bought a couple of DSLRs (Canon D40 and D90). These were more awkward on trips, and I took to using something smaller, first a Pentax Optio S4, then a Panasonic Lumix LX7, and then a smartphone, starting with the iPhone 5.
We bought "superzooms" (Panasonic TZ-300 and TZ-1000) for a trip to elephant sanctuaries in Kenya in 2020 (photos linked on the travel page). At least one of those now goes with us to exceptionally scenic places, especially when wildlife is involved. But phone photos are now quite good. I had been relying on those for many trips, and when I had some professional allowance money about to evaporate, I spent it on an iPhone 16, primarily for its photo capabilities. It means I don't miss the superzooms much.