Are Shift Lenses Still Useful?

The Schneider 50 f/2.8 PC-TS Super Angulon (now discontinued) has a 360° rotating tripod mount, the chief reason I chose mine over the 45mm Nikkor T/S. I shoot a lot of verticals, and use 50mm often - it's a joy not to have to flop over the whole heavy camera/lens combination on the tripod. I use tilt more than shift. Lenses such as Zeiss Otus 55 and 85mm f/1.4 would benefit from a tripod mount, in my personal opinion.

I have seen these rigs (not as fancy, but functional) for the 85mm PC-E/PC-micro, and a quick search showed an option for my Rokinon 24mm T/S lens.

It's all about priorities. Even as I'm typing this I'm considering whether or not to even bring my D850 and landscape kit (which includes a hefty tripod) with me to the Big Island in a couple of weeks – I'm leaning towards packing it along, even if it only gets used to do high end "selfies" and maybe one or two other times while we're there. OTOH, I just got a D3400 and a $100 underwater housing because I would like to try to get some "real" photographs while snorkeling. We'll be doing fine dining and enjoying some excellent Pinot and Chardonnay wines at the end of the day, and maybe looking at a few nice photos at that time too.

That is it. Sometimes I just carry my Z7 with the 24-200, slung over my shoulder, or on my last trip back to the UK for a family event, I just used my surprisingly good iPhone 14, which for family pictures is perfect. But then sometimes when I want to photograph a place in depth like the Gothic architecture in Bologna that Im currently exploring, I will take the gear I think I will need, might might mean 3 camera bodies and five lenses. For country church architecture I use my car boot to hold a good selection of kit,, taking out just what I need.

Lusted after these Schneider lenses, but I believe they made very few of them. A bit beyond my budget too.

But I bought an older mint Schneider 35mm shift lens, which has a nice rendering.

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I wouldn't leave anything valuable and uninsured in the trunk (boot) of your car while leaving it unattended.

Petty crime here is a bit different here in Northern Italy. If I leave valuables in full view, I am looking for trouble, in certain places, as car crime is mostly smash and grab. Rural Italy is pretty crime free. Our cities are starting to get worse, but petty crime here is mostly pick pockets in the big cities, and opportunistic theft.

I forgot my tripod, with an expensive geared head in one rural location, I realised after I was half way home. After and hour, it was still propped against the wall where I had left it. Contrary to its reputation, Italians are pretty honest, on the whole.