> You don't need an APS-C or larger sensor to get decent images.
I don't have the space and time to debate the merits here but there is a reason they exist, there are lots of things you can get by having a large sensor (including a different aesthetic and better SNR for low light images) and I want those things with a hackable interface and programmatic control of whatever the sensor is capable of.
I've been doing photography with full frame sensors for a a decade after upgrading from APS-C and telling me "you don't need an APS-C camera" without understanding why I use a full frame camera or the work I produce with them isn't really helpful.
You don't need an APS-C or larger sensor to get decent images. Most APS-C sensors use a different high-speed interface that won't work with the Raspberry Pi anyway.
Really, this solution from the Raspberry Pi foundation is a great start for any of the projects you mentioned. It's also cheap and highly available.