this post was submitted on 16 May 2024
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I was like, ooh, I didn't know there were newer Nikon tilt-shift lenses (Nikkor PC-E) for the F mount that are still available for purchase new... ...and the bloody things cost like 1900€. Even the older PC-Nikkor lenses cost a pretty penny in second hand market.
These lenses are firmly in "would be extremely neat to have, but are both on the very expensive side and also I don't know how much use I'd get from them in practice" category of photography gear. ...which doesn't narrow much down if we're talking photography gear, but hey.
The best strategy when it comes to expensive niche lenses like this is: save up and buy a good used example of a lens that won’t limit you and will let you grow as a photographer. There’s always people selling gently used lenses because they either don’t use them or they’re switching systems.
I’ve always bought better lenses and gear than I needed at the time and never regretted it. If you buy a cheap lens, it often comes with tradeoffs that the expensive lenses don’t have. If you buy a good lens - especially dumb, manual lenses like a tilt-shift, you can always use them on other cameras down the line or sell them to another eager photographer without losing a lot of money.
Owning niche gear like this is kind of its own joy anyway. It’ll let you do and experiment with things that others can’t do. You might not use it every day, but you’ll be ticked pink to use it when you can. I can’t really tell you what I paid for some of my specialty gear, but I can damn sure tell you about how much I smile when I use it :D