Agree - I jumped from a OnePlus 5T to a Pixel 5a 2 years ago and have no regrets. It really depends on what you’re modding for, but I found that on Pixel not having (as much) bloatware, getting the latest Android updates, having real Google Camera support instead of chasing the best mod, and using Wavelet instead of Viper4Android took care of most of my rooting needs. Instead, with the unlockable bootloader I’ve been able to explore custom OSes like GrapheneOS which has been really great!

If you’re on Android 12 or higher with a supported device, you could disable camera access with a quick settings toggle. If the camera is disabled, any app using the camera just gets a black image. (It does cause a popup asking if you want to unblock the camera, but you can just hit cancel.)