Lens filters are expensive, or at least they are when you buy quality filters. The problem with lens filters in my opinion has always been that you will no doubt own many lenses with many different sizes of filter rings.
For most people, this means buying multiple lens filters to fit their various lenses. The problem with this is it gets expensive, especially when you are buying top quality filters. But, why should you spend hundreds of dollars for the same exact filter when you already have it in another lens size?
Step Up Rings, The Ultimate Discount on Lens Filters
Many of you may have heard of step up rings, but if you were like me, you never really considered them. But I am here to tell you today, that for $20 you can buy a quality set of step up filters that will allow you to fit any filter onto almost any lens.
As you can imagine this can save you hundreds – even thousands if you like to use a lot of filters – of dollars on different size lens filters for your various lenses.
Now, obviously, you don’t want to put a 52mm filter on an 82mm lens. So the key is to purchase filters in the largest size needed by your lenses (in my case 82mm). Then just use the step up rings on your smaller lenses to bump them up so they can use your larger filter.
It is as simple as that and can save you loads of money on filters that are redundant in your camera bag. I would definitely recommend, given how inexpensive they are, that every photographer have a set of step up rings in their camera bag.
As you can see in the images used in this post, I am now able to use my 82mm filters, required for my Sigma 24-105mm F/4 DG HSM Art, on my Sigma 50mm F/1.4 which only has a 77mm filter thread.
Yes, it is simple, and yes many of you may have already known about this. I have known about this for many years, but only recently did I finally pull the trigger on these step up rings, and I am happy that I did.
As I said above, I recommend that every photographer have a set of these in their bag. They are inexpensive, and allow you to only buy one filter size, saving you a lot of money in the long run on filters.
I purchased my set on Amazon for $20, which included step up rings from 26mm all the way up to 82mm as well as step down rings in that same range. I am very happy with both the build quality and the ease of use on these step up rings.
If you are interested in grabbing some step up rings of your own, B&H has a great set of normal photo lens sizes for just $12.95, and for that price, you really have no excuse to not own a set.
