Has anyone experimented with putting a 67mm to 52mm step down ring on a Nikon SW 90 F8? I would like to standardize my filters at 52mm if this would no ruin my field of view on the Nikon. Any ideas what the image circle would be with a 52mm filter in place? (the original is 235mm)

Thanks in advance!

Joel

-- Joel (saudjoel@isu.edu), April 21, 2002

Answers

IMHO, it would make more sense to standardise all your filters by stepping UP - not down. I step my filters up to 77mm as a common size, most of my lenses have a 67mm filter thread. You would lose much needed coverage by stepping down this amount, although I couldn't quote actual figures.

-- paul owen (paulowen_2000@yahoo.com), April 21, 2002.

It will VERY likely vignette the image in 4x5 format severely. When I tried stacking filters (let alone a step down ring!) on my 75mm Nikkor - a 67mm and then a series 9 Tiffen with 4x4 holder, it vignettes (the very corners go black). The answer there is to use a gel in the holder as the second filter and that works fine.

-- John Burnley (oreamnos1@fnol.net), April 21, 2002.

I'd echo the advice to standardize at the largest diameter filter requirement for all of your lenses. You shouldn't have a vignetting problem by doing so. I've standardized at 82 mm, my largest size and have four step rings that are used individually or in combination to fit all of my lenses.

-- J. Wolfe (bigbad810@hotmail.com), April 21, 2002.

It won't work as others have pointed out. I seriously doubt that you'd even be able to find such a drastic step-down ring, for obvious reasons. Most companies seem to limit them to about 2 steps (ie. 67- 58) max. Better to go with larger filters.

-- Wayne DeWitt (wdewitt@snip.net), April 22, 2002.

I use a custom adapted 3" gel holder that has a 67mm thread for my 90mm and 180mm lenses, (found at a bargain table) and a standard 52mm for the 300 and 135 lenses. 52mm on a 90mm Nikkor-SW would vignette like crazy.

-- Mark Sampson (MSampson45@aol.com), April 22, 2002.