Filter Step Rings

If I want to fit a 52mm filter to a lens with 49mm filter thread do I order a step up or step down ring? The suppliers don't seem to know

Step Up adapter.

link

Best regards

Step up Barrie. These arrived today ebay step up ringsI can now tape my welding glass to the 77mm for use with my Sigma 10-20, but will also be able to use the step up rings to use it on any of my lenses from a 49mm thread upwards.

your link explains my dilemma. To me the photograph shows a step ring that will enable you to fit a 49mm filter to a 52mm lens and I would call that a step down ring.

It will always be a ring to use a larger filter on a smaller lens - the other way round would not be logical in that it would vignette.

Why not avoid the issue and call them stepping rings?

Thats my point John. As far as I can see some of the Step ring being advertised are made to fit smaller filters onto larger lenses. link but the descriptions vary as to what is step up or down

Since you are trying to attach a filter to a lens you'd always speak in terms of filter to lens, so in this case you're stepping up a smaller filter to a larger lens. Stepping down would be a larger diameter filter to a smaller lens.


/edit imo, I think, etc..

No Barrie, the link shows step up rings from 49mm to 77mm. This would enable you to screw a 77mm filter into the largest one with the 77mm internal thread (72mm-77mm). you could then use that 77mm filter on a 72mm threaded lens. If you wanted to use the 77mm filter on a 67mm threaded lens like the 16-45 you would use the 67mm-72mm step up ring too.

So to summarise the above, I can have a 77mm filter for a Sigma 10-20. With 2 step up rings I can use the same filter with a Pentax 16-45. If I were to use all the step up rings I could use that 77mm filter on my Pentax A f1.7 with its 49mm thread.

As John says with step down rings you are trying to put a small filter on a bigger lens than it is intended for. Must have some uses, but I don't know what for

Yes Barrie, that is a step down. I don't know why someone would want to put a 55mm filter on a 58mm lens, but they do

You could get away with perhaps a step or two from the correct size, depending on the lens design.

Perhaps if they only had one 58mm lens, but had a load of 55mm filters (for their other lenses). Smaller filters are also cheaper - sometimes very much so. Some of the more unusual filters I have are only available in 25mm round & 50mm square styles except for special order jobs $$$$$.

A smaller filter is not ideal, but it can be the most practical compromise.