A "one size fits all" filter setup?

CraniumDesigns · Mar 29, 2009

Hey friends! Now that I started using filters, I've noticed something terribly annoying... My filters only fit 1 of my 3 lenses! I have a 18-55, a 75-300, and 50, and my 58mm filters only fit my 18-55. What can I do, if anything, to buy just a large filter and use it for any of my lenses? Should I just buy large filters and then buy adaptors to fit smaller lenses? How do you accomplish this without buying a filter set for each lens size?

Overread · Mar 29, 2009

You answered yourself really - get a larger filter for your largest lens and then get stepdown rings for your other lenses. Also make sure that if your getting filters that your not just getting cheap ones - cheap brand filters are going to degrade your image quality whilst high grade ones will hardly cause any detrimental effect

table1349 · Mar 29, 2009

This works very nicely.

http://www.leefiltersusa.com/downloads/assets/The_System_Brochure.pdf

Singh-Ray Filters: Galen Rowell Graduated Neutral Density Filters
Or
COKIN Creative System - The Holder System

The square/rectangular system will cover most lenses. If you go with the Cokin (they are the cheapest) I would suggest that you go with the Z-Pro series. They hold100mm wide filters which allows for the use of filters from companies such as the lee or singh-ray.

AlexColeman · Mar 29, 2009

I would just get all 77, it is the professional size, then use stepdowm rings.

EhJsNe · Mar 29, 2009

You got it!

Use stepdown rings. Do not use stepup rings. they will make you a not happy camper. just dont use them.

Im pretty sure 77mm filters are like some sort of standard, so a 77-whatever stepdown ring would be a good choice. and for lenses with anything larger than 77, id say it should have its own filter on it always, its most likely to expensive to not have protected, or its too big for a filter.

And dont buy the cheapest filter you can, it degrades image quality. If you just getting one, for ALL your lenses, id suggest getting the highest quality (not the most expensive) filter you can afford.

table1349 · Mar 29, 2009

EhJsNe said:
You got it!

Use stepdown rings. Do not use stepup rings. they will make you a not happy camper. just dont use them.

Im pretty sure 77mm filters are like some sort of standard, so a 77-whatever stepdown ring would be a good choice. and for lenses with anything larger than 77, id say it should have its own filter on it always, its most likely to expensive to not have protected, or its too big for a filter.

And dont buy the cheapest filter you can, it degrades image quality. If you just getting one, for ALL your lenses, id suggest getting the highest quality (not the most expensive) filter you can afford.

Per chance, you might want to read this.

Step Up and Step Down Rings

CraniumDesigns · Mar 29, 2009

thanks a lot guysi think i'll get the cokin z-pro filter holder, and a set of lee soft grad ND filters. should cost about $300 for all that. so i'll hold off for a bit.

I wanna take pics like Patrick Smith... Patrick Smith Photography - Landscape Photography and Seascape Photography - Home

Torus34 · Mar 30, 2009

It's my understanding that step-up rings have external threads on the smaller diameter section and internal threads on the larger diameter section. These are the type of ring I've used for many, many years. Step-down rings would be the reverse.

Now, modern filters come with external threads on one side and internal threads on t'other. No problem there. But I'm having a bit of trouble getting my head around how step-down rings would be used to adapt a larger-diameter filter to a smaller-diameter lens which has an internally-threaded front.