Obviously a decent camera or camcorder with full manual control is best for getting things "just right" for those of us that "care" or "understand" the workings of photography and want to make the finished article as good as you can get. What I have never got my head round is that a lot of people buy quite an expensive camera with all the "bells n whistles" and leave it on auto !
My wife who is a brilliant photographer is always being asked by her female friends "what sort of camera have you got as it takes terrific pictures"