Is buying a DSLR camera worth it?

So I have an iPhone SE and the camera is pretty good. I was looking to purchase a Canon T5 camera to take pictures and record video with, but I don't know if it is worth it. Most things I read show how iPhones are pretty equal to DSLRs.

The right tool for the right job. A phone has a camera added as an extra feature. DSLRs add video as an extra. Camcorders add still frames as an extra. Are you seeing the big picture?

Seriously?

DSLRs have enormous potential for stills (I don't shoot video) , but there's a catch - until you put in the time and effort to learn how to get the best out of your camera, you'd be as well with an iPhone.

Once you gain the skill and experience, even the most basic DSLR will blow a phone out of the water, but if you just point it and press the button, forget it.

Those places you read that say an iPhone is as good as a DSLR are written by dumbasses that have iPhones but not a DSLR.

No phone, no matter how good you think it is, can hold a candle to an actual DSLR, period. Your little POS phone camera just plain and simple sucks. Can't say it any plainer than that.

The single advantage that a phone camera has over a real camera (even a point and shoot is a better option than a phone) is that you will almost always have the phone on you, where most people don't carry a DSLR around with them everywhere they go.

Those that say a iPhone are almost as good as a DSLR are clueless.

How serious are you about photography?

If you only need a camera for causal pictures, then your phone camera is perfectly capable of taking decent shots. Especially if you only display those pictures on your phone or social media. If you display them full screen on a computer with a 24" monitor, technical flaws will show up, but for the average viewer they wouldn't notice. Photo sharing sites generally don't show images full screen, so less of an issue.

If you plan to become more serious about photography where you need technical quality and control over your camera, then a DSLR (mirrorless is also included) will give better results. If you want to make large prints, a phone camera will have a hard time competing with a DSLR. However, just using a DSLR won't give you better photos (might end up being worse) unless you dedicate time in to learning about the control of the equipment, lighting, artistic side of photography, and editing programs like Lightroom.

Question, do you want to lug around a DSLR? They are pretty cumbersome. My next trip in to the bush, I'm carrying about 10 pounds of camera equipment, half of that is one lens. You need to ask yourself if a DSLR is worth it to you and if you are willing to invest the time to increase your knowledge of photography. If you aren't interested in learning about photography, then stick with a phone camera or a decent point & shoot like the Sony RX100 or Canon G-series (pocket sized with a 1" sensor and full manual control).