filter size strategy

How does one deal with different lens that use different filter sizes?
My current digicam takes 58mm. The first thing I bought was a couple
of Nikon 6T macro's in 62mm + a step up ring and I have been happy
with it. Why? the price was right and some one advised me that this
was the cheapest way to go.

Well, since I have the two 6T's, might as well get a step up ring to
go from 52-62 since I have a film slr with a 50mm lens. Tried to
screw this on my film 135mm and found that that one was 55mm. No
problem, I'll buy another step up ring.

Down the road I'd love to get a Canon 350 and will likely have to
start with the 18-55 kit lens. Kit lens is uses a 58mm filter but the
most recommended upgrade lens 17-85 uses 67mm filters. So with the
kit lens, I'll have some filters that will fit but the other lens has
me starting over.


How do you handle this?

Wes







--
Reply to:
Whiskey Echo Sierra Sierra AT Alpha Charlie Echo Golf Romeo Oscar Paul dot Charlie Charlie
Lycos address is a spam trap.

On Monday 18 April 2005 13:29, wrote:

How does one deal with different lens that use different filter sizes?
My current digicam takes 58mm. The first thing I bought was a couple
of Nikon 6T macro's in 62mm + a step up ring and I have been happy
with it. Why? the price was right and some one advised me that this
was the cheapest way to go.

Well, since I have the two 6T's, might as well get a step up ring to
go from 52-62 since I have a film slr with a 50mm lens. Tried to
screw this on my film 135mm and found that that one was 55mm. No
problem, I'll buy another step up ring.

Down the road I'd love to get a Canon 350 and will likely have to
start with the 18-55 kit lens. Kit lens is uses a 58mm filter but the
most recommended upgrade lens 17-85 uses 67mm filters. So with the
kit lens, I'll have some filters that will fit but the other lens has
me starting over.


How do you handle this?

I use 75mm "gel" filters mostly with a holder and adapter rings. So,
for the most part, one set of filters fits all my 35mm, 2 1/4, 4x5
lenses. The exception being polarizers. I have 2 (52mm and 72mm) with
step/adapter rings to fit all my lenses.

--
Stefan Patric
NoLife Polymath Group

On Monday 18 April 2005 13:29, wrote:

How does one deal with different lens that use different filter sizes?
My current digicam takes 58mm. The first thing I bought was a couple
of Nikon 6T macro's in 62mm + a step up ring and I have been happy
with it. Why? the price was right and some one advised me that this
was the cheapest way to go.

Well, since I have the two 6T's, might as well get a step up ring to
go from 52-62 since I have a film slr with a 50mm lens. Tried to
screw this on my film 135mm and found that that one was 55mm. No
problem, I'll buy another step up ring.

Down the road I'd love to get a Canon 350 and will likely have to
start with the 18-55 kit lens. Kit lens is uses a 58mm filter but the
most recommended upgrade lens 17-85 uses 67mm filters. So with the
kit lens, I'll have some filters that will fit but the other lens has
me starting over.


How do you handle this?

I use 75mm "gel" filters mostly with a holder and adapter rings. So,
for the most part, one set of filters fits all my 35mm, 2 1/4, 4x5
lenses. The exception being polarizers. I have 2 (52mm and 72mm) with
step/adapter rings to fit all my lenses.

--
Stefan Patric
NoLife Polymath Group

writes:

How does one deal with different lens that use different filter sizes?
My current digicam takes 58mm. The first thing I bought was a couple
of Nikon 6T macro's in 62mm + a step up ring and I have been happy
with it. Why? the price was right and some one advised me that this
was the cheapest way to go.

Well, since I have the two 6T's, might as well get a step up ring to
go from 52-62 since I have a film slr with a 50mm lens. Tried to
screw this on my film 135mm and found that that one was 55mm. No
problem, I'll buy another step up ring.

Down the road I'd love to get a Canon 350 and will likely have to
start with the 18-55 kit lens. Kit lens is uses a 58mm filter but the
most recommended upgrade lens 17-85 uses 67mm filters. So with the
kit lens, I'll have some filters that will fit but the other lens has
me starting over.

How do you handle this?

For UV filters used to protect the lens element, I buy a filter that exactly
matches the lens size (ie, I have a 67mm filter for my Olympus 14-54mm lens, a
62mm filter for my Sigma 18-125mm lens, and a 55mm filter for my Sigma 55-200mm
lens).

For the polarizer filter, I originally went for the strategy of getting the
largest filter size (67mm in my case), and step up rings. However, after
getting the step-up rings, I discovered the plastic lens hood for the other
lenses don't work when you use a step up ring, so I just bit the bullet and got
a 55mm polarizer and will probably get a 62mm shortly. However, it gets
expensive getting the high end polarizers for each lens, so for the 55mm I got
the non-coated Sunpak polarizer and hope when I'm using the 55-200mm lens,
flare won't be so bad.

Another thing that I wished I had done different is I got one of the slim line
Hoya polarizers with no front threads, which is hard to turn. Because it
doesn't have front threads, the normal lens cap doesn't work, and I suspect the
lens cap that came with the filter won't stay on when I'm carrying the camera
lens down. Also, with no front theads, I was limited in what rubber lens hood
I could use.

I suspect if I get speciality filters like the R72 infrared filter, I will get
it only for the 67mm lens and use step up rings and no lens hood.

--
Michael Meissner
email:
http://www.the-meissners.org

Michael Meissner wrote:

How do you handle this?

For UV filters used to protect the lens element, I buy a filter that exactly
matches the lens size (ie, I have a 67mm filter for my Olympus 14-54mm lens, a
62mm filter for my Sigma 18-125mm lens, and a 55mm filter for my Sigma 55-200mm
lens).

That seems very reasonable.


For the polarizer filter, I originally went for the strategy of getting the
largest filter size (67mm in my case), and step up rings. However, after
getting the step-up rings, I discovered the plastic lens hood for the other
lenses don't work when you use a step up ring, so I just bit the bullet and got
a 55mm polarizer and will probably get a 62mm shortly. However, it gets
expensive getting the high end polarizers for each lens, so for the 55mm I got
the non-coated Sunpak polarizer and hope when I'm using the 55-200mm lens,
flare won't be so bad.

As far as the lens cap goes, I didn't have one to fit my 62mm close up
lens. I bought one after seeing what can happen if you have close up
lens screwed on and don't pay attention to where your camera is
pointed on a sunny day.


[snip]


I suspect if I get speciality filters like the R72 infrared filter, I will get
it only for the 67mm lens and use step up rings and no lens hood.

That sounds like a plan. So I guess a little mixing and matching
isn't all that unusual.

Thanks,

Wes


--
Reply to:
Whiskey Echo Sierra Sierra AT Alpha Charlie Echo Golf Romeo Oscar Paul dot Charlie Charlie
Lycos address is a spam trap.

Michael Meissner wrote:

How do you handle this?

For UV filters used to protect the lens element, I buy a filter that exactly
matches the lens size (ie, I have a 67mm filter for my Olympus 14-54mm lens, a
62mm filter for my Sigma 18-125mm lens, and a 55mm filter for my Sigma 55-200mm
lens).

That seems very reasonable.


For the polarizer filter, I originally went for the strategy of getting the
largest filter size (67mm in my case), and step up rings. However, after
getting the step-up rings, I discovered the plastic lens hood for the other
lenses don't work when you use a step up ring, so I just bit the bullet and got
a 55mm polarizer and will probably get a 62mm shortly. However, it gets
expensive getting the high end polarizers for each lens, so for the 55mm I got
the non-coated Sunpak polarizer and hope when I'm using the 55-200mm lens,
flare won't be so bad.

As far as the lens cap goes, I didn't have one to fit my 62mm close up
lens. I bought one after seeing what can happen if you have close up
lens screwed on and don't pay attention to where your camera is
pointed on a sunny day.


[snip]


I suspect if I get speciality filters like the R72 infrared filter, I will get
it only for the 67mm lens and use step up rings and no lens hood.

That sounds like a plan. So I guess a little mixing and matching
isn't all that unusual.

Thanks,

Wes


--
Reply to:
Whiskey Echo Sierra Sierra AT Alpha Charlie Echo Golf Romeo Oscar Paul dot Charlie Charlie
Lycos address is a spam trap.