Step-Up and Step-Down Rings for Camera Filters

  • There is a common problem with screw in filters that is the size of the thread diameters. A 55mm filter is obviously not going to fit an 82mm camera lens. You would need a whole set of filters with various diameters to accommodate every lens with different diameters.

  • A simple and cheaper solution is to get a step up or step down ring. These rings are just some thin, double threaded aluminum rings with a male threaded standard filter diameter on one side and female threaded on the other end. So if you have a 62mm filters and you have another lens with 55mm diameter; you can get a 62mm to 55mm step down adapter and you would be able to connect the 62mm filter to the 55mm camera lens.

  • There is a disadvantage if the you are using step down rings though, as the filter size would be smaller than the camera lens, this would lead to dark corners appeared in the photo, or it is called vignetting.

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