Step Up Ring

Beginner's Question:

I am shopping for a Neutral Density filter.I am using an 82MM size lens.Anyway,what does a Step Up 77-82MM Ring mean?
Thanks.

A step-up would allow a 77mm filter to mount into a 82mm lens. Why you would want to do this I have no idea.

A 77-82 lens to filter step up ring means you can use an 82 mm filter on a 77 mm lens

Indecent Exposure wrote in post #14255237
A step-up would allow a 77mm filter to mount into a 82mm lens. Why you would want to do this I have no idea.

Beginner's Question Again:

What Would be wrong if you do that?
Again,Thanks.

No One wrote in post #14255295
Beginner's Question Again:

What Would be wrong if you do that?
Again,Thanks.

It would only have a 77mm opening on the front of your lens that normally has a larger, 82mm front element. This would cause significant vignette in your images.

What you are talking about, though is an adapter to fit an 82mm filter on a 77mm forward element, which is common practice for those with multiple lenses and only want to buy one size filter.

Using the reduction rings allows for use of larger filters (usually CPL's and ND's) on smaller lenses, this saves money by using one filter for several lenses, but the draback is that on some lenses the hood may not fit with the larger filter attached. I typically try to stay within 5mm in size otherwise it getts rather odd looking.

Several companies make both step-up and step-down rings.

I use step-up rings to accomodate my 82mm CPL on my 77mm and 72mm filter-size lenses. I just double-step-down for the 72. This way, I only need one CPL to work on all my lenses. One lesson I learned was not to tightly screw the rings together...taking them apart is very difficult. Using the hood on the 72mm size lens with the rings on won't fit. No surprise there.

A step-down ring allows a too-small filter to be used on a larger filter-size lenses. The issue immediately becomes one of vignetting. However, on a 1.6 crop body, it might not be too noticeable, if used on a full-frame (EF) lens. The solution would be to crop out the dark areas in post processing.

Indecent Exposure wrote in post #14255237
A step-up would allow a 77mm filter to mount into a 82mm lens. Why you would want to do this I have no idea.

Wrong. That would be a step-down ring.

Voaky999 wrote in post #14255284
A 77-82 lens to filter step up ring means you can use an 82 mm filter on a 77 mm lens

Correct. A step-down would be a terrible idea since, as steelbluesleepr said, you'd be "choking" the lens. It's like using a telephoto lens hood on a wide angle lens. You narrow the available field of view. So part of your picture would be the "step-down" ring.

bratkinson wrote in post #14256007
Several companies make both step-up and step-down rings.

I use step-up rings to accomodate my 82mm CPL on my 77mm and 72mm filter-size lenses. I just double-step-down for the 72. This way, I only need one CPL to work on all my lenses. One lesson I learned was not to tightly screw the rings together...taking them apart is very difficult. Using the hood on the 72mm size lens with the rings on won't fit. No surprise there.

A step-down ring allows a too-small filter to be used on a larger filter-size lenses. The issue immediately becomes one of vignetting. However, on a 1.6 crop body, it might not be too noticeable, if used on a full-frame (EF) lens. The solution would be to crop out the dark areas in post processing.

This is right.

Jon wrote in post #14256081
Wrong. That would be a step-down ring

Yeah. Apparently I can't walk and chew gum.