# Step-up Ring, Filter...



## shashinkaman (Jan 23, 2013)

Could any of you share their experience/ thoughts on the following: if I would use a 77mm polarisation filter screwed (pardon my French) in a 67-77mm step-up ring, on the front end of my lens (which has, as you all probably have concluded, a 67mm filter size) would I be able to use this combination without any negative effects or is there any reason (practical/ optical) for this not to be useful? I guess I am probably not the first 'smarty pants' who came up with this idea, so if (especially being new to this forum) I should have missed this topic being raised and solved before, I duly apologize, but would really appreciate your kind input! Thanks to all! 
(PS: English is not my native language, for please forgive any weird usage of the before mentioned; - )


----------



## knkedlaya (Jan 23, 2013)

Never used polarized filter in that fashion, but used a 77mm ND filter with a 58-77 step-up ring on my kit lens. Didnt see any issues.
Tried Polarized filter on kit and on top of that 58-77 step-up ring and then the ND filter(Wanted to cut off lot of light to get blurry effect of sea waves). Saw vignetting and reduced sharpness.

Hope this helps
Thanks


----------



## AG (Jan 23, 2013)

Just tested it on a kit 55-250 lens and it seemed to work ok. 

The only real issue i can see is if the height of your filters enter the field of view of the lens. 

Having a 67mm lens and a larger 77mm filter this shouldn't be an issue unlike if you had a 72mm lens and a 77mm filter. *EDIT: Should mention i was meaning on wide lenses here (eg 11mm - 24mm)*

Then you may start to see it and get vignetting at between f1.5 - f5.6 (for example) basically until the iris closes enough to take it out of the field of view.


----------



## keithinmelbourne (Jan 23, 2013)

I use a 72-77 step-up ring for my ND filters. No issues.


----------



## dr croubie (Jan 23, 2013)

Larger Filters on Smaller lenses with a Step Up ring, you're never going to have a problem, except if you want to use a hood. Sometimes you can get the hood on and *then* mount the filter, sometimes you can't even do that. But if you don't want a hood, there's no problem at all. (I'd recommend getting another lenscap, $2 on ebay, the size of your filter, so that you don't have to unscrew everything to put the original lenscap on).

Putting Smaller filters on Larger lenses with a Step Down ring is also possible, but not recommended, because you get worse vignetting. Only if you're putting an EF lens on an EF-S body, then maybe it's ok, but it's up for experimentation.


----------



## 87vr6 (Jan 23, 2013)

dr croubie said:


> Larger Filters on Smaller lenses with a Step Up ring, you're never going to have a problem, except if you want to use a hood. Sometimes you can get the hood on and *then* mount the filter, sometimes you can't even do that. But if you don't want a hood, there's no problem at all. (I'd recommend getting another lenscap, $2 on ebay, the size of your filter, so that you don't have to unscrew everything to put the original lenscap on).



Hell, a filter with a step up ring is kinda a hood!!


----------



## Spooky (Jan 23, 2013)

Pick the largest lens diameter you have and buy filters for that size. Use step up rings for the smaller lens'. The only disadvantage is the cost of the larger filter & hood issues. I use a 82mm polariser on my 77mm lens's without issue apart from slight vignetting on my 17-40 set wide.


----------



## dr croubie (Jan 23, 2013)

Spooky said:


> Pick the largest lens diameter you have and buy filters for that size.



Yes, but within reason, sometimes it's better to have a few intermediate sizes. If I use my largest filter on my smallest lens, it just looks kinda stupid...


----------



## neuroanatomist (Jan 23, 2013)

@dr croubie - how does the little STM motor like that stack?


----------



## ahab1372 (Jan 23, 2013)

Croubie, you created a masterpiece of industrial design. The new 40mm funnel lens. Make sure you add it to your gear pics


----------

