What Are Step-Up Rings?
If you are a passionate photographer or videographer, chances are you’ve purchased a filter or two (or three) to help elevate your content creation game. Or, at the very least, you’ve done a bit of research into filters, and are in the process of picking up your first one. While there are many different types of filters out there that all serve different creative purposes, one thing is for sure: filters are expensive. Sure, they’re not as expensive as cameras and lenses, but, at roughly $100-$200 each for a decent quality one, the costs can really start to add up as you procure more and more filters for your camera kit.
But, as photographers and videographers, we just have to have a set of filters to make our art really stand out, so we go out and buy a bunch of filters that fit our one and only lens with a 77mm filter diameter. Things are great. We’re creating epic art. After a while, you decide it’s time to buy a new lens to up your game (once again), and then a new problem arises. The new lens you purchased doesn’t have the same filter size as your first 77mm filter. Maybe this new lens has a 67mm filter size, or even a 49mm filter size. Whatever it is, your expensive lens filters now don’t fit on your new lens. So, what do you do?
Well, you could re-buy every single lens filter that you own in the new size. If you only need to replace one filter, this may not be too bad, but, if you own a variable ND filter, a circular polarizer and a mist filter, this could become costly very quickly. But don’t panic. Before you return your new lens and search for a different one with a matching filter size to your first lens, know that there is a relatively easy and cheap solution to the lens filter size dilemma. They’re called step-up rings.
What is a Step-Up Ring?
A step-up ring is, well, a ring that you screw onto your smaller lenses so that you can attach larger filters to them. So, as an example, you could by a step-up ring where the inner portion of the ring has a 67mm thread diameter, allowing you to screw it onto your lens with a 67mm lens diameter. The outer portion of the ring could then have a 77mm thread diameter, allowing you to screw a 77mm filter onto a 67mm lens. With the help of step-up rings, you then only really need to buy one size of each filter, and then just a bunch of step-up rings for each of your lenses.
Now you may be thinking, ok, I save some money by not needing to purchase a bunch of different filters for my various lenses, but aren’t a bunch of step-up rings going to cost me a lot, too? No, not really. Most step-up rings only cost around $10, so it’s pretty easy (and affordable) to purchase a bunch of them.
What Filter Size Should I Get?
Now, here’s the trick. You’re going to want to make sure that you purchase all of your filters in the size that matches your lens that has the largest filter diameter. So if the largest lens diameter you have is 77mm, purchase 77mm filters. Then, all you need to do is buy step-up rings for the rest of your lenses that step-up to 77mm.
I will say, however, that if you’re just starting to build your lens collection and your current largest filter size is small (say 49mm), it may be worthwhile purchasing a larger filter and step-up ring right from the start, as you will most likely purchase larger lenses as you move further and further into your photography and videography career. This isn’t essential, but a bit of pre-planning can save you some money down the road.
Do Step-Up Rings Deteriorate Image Quality?
Now, you may be wondering, does adding a step-up ring along with a larger filter deteriorate my image quality in any way?
Firstly, just to get this out of the way up front, any extra piece of glass that you put in front of your lens has the chance of altering your final image in some way. There’s no way around that. As a creative, you need to determine the overall look and feel that you’re going for with your images and videos, and decide if a filter will help you achieve that vision. I will say that, with most high quality filters, you will not notice any deterioration in image quality.
Now, back to the step-up rings. Using step-up rings themselves won’t deteriorate your images. They simply allow you to use a larger filter on smaller lenses. The only thing to be aware of with step-up rings is vignetting with wide angle lenses. Since you are putting a step-up ring on and then placing a filter on top of it, the edges of the step-up ring and / or filter can become visible in photos when using a wide angle lens. I would say this is more possible when you’re using a really wide focal length, but it’s still something to be aware of if you’re using a focal length of 35mm and below.
Can I Stack Step-Up Rings?
The short answer to this is yes, you can stack step-up rings. This may be required if you need to step-up one lens quite a bit, and you can’t find a single step-up ring to achieve the job. For instance, if you have a lens with a 49mm thread diameter, and you need to step-up to your 77mm filter, you may need to use a 49mm to 67mm step-up ring and a 67mm to 77mm step-up ring. Again, buying two step-up rings is generally cheaper than buying new filters.
I would, again, use a bit of caution here when you’re using wide angle lenses. By stacking step-up rings, you’re now making the edges of the step-up rings and / or filter even more visible to your camera as they start to climb out past the end of the lens. Again, really take a close look at the edges of your image in the viewfinder before shooting to see if a vignette, or the edges of the step-up rings themselves, are present - especially when shooting at a focal length of 35mm or below.
Conclusion
If you have purchased a number of filters that fit the thread size of one specific lens and are now dealing with the inevitable frustration of purchasing a new lens that does not have the same thread size, don’t panic. Step-up rings offer a cheap, easy way to connect your expensive camera filters to any lens - no matter the thread size. Just make sure that you purchase filters that match the thread size of your largest lens. That way, you can simply buy step-up rings for all of your smaller lenses, eliminating the need to buy additional filters in the future.