Do you standardize your screw-on filters by thread size?

[Heroique]

Please share your screw-on filter strategy!

Even if you also use a different system, such as the Lee system, and complement it with screw-on filters. This is, of course, also a story about step-up and step-down rings. Smart tips for those graduating to the LF game and whose funds aren’t kingly are especially welcome.

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I have three LF lenses, plus several Nikon 35mm lenses.

But I have only two groups of screw-on filters, 52mm and 77mm.

The 52mm group works with my classic Nikon 35mm AIS lenses, most of which are 52mm. This group also works with my Fuji A 240mm, which is of course 52mm. Quite convenient.

My LF lens smaller than 52mm steps-up to 52mm:
Schneider 150mm g-claron is 35.5mm!

My LF lens larger than 52mm steps-up to 77mm:
Schneider 110mm XL is 67mm.

I would have more 67mm filters except that a few of my Nikon 35mm lenses are 62mm, 72mm, and 77mm.

Please tell us how you figured out your kit.

[rfesk]

I use 40.5mm, 52mm, & 67mm filters only and adapters to use those filters.

[Vaughn]

I gathered lenses too haphazardly to plan that. Ah, the days of one lens, one filter (yellow) kept on the lens, and removed with the lenscap if not needed. Now it is, "Yellow? (which yellow?), orange?, nah, I'll go with 25A, dang, only yellow has the right thread. Glad that was what I wanted."

Then there are the times I grab a filter only to find that I have seen cleaner petri dishes.

86mm filter size -- silly size! Sillier to watch one roll down the rocks, over the edge and onto the road.

[Mark Woods]

I use step up rings on all of the lenses to get to my standard Series 9 filters. I use the series 9s on all of my lenses, including my 6x7. It keeps things simple. I bought a series of step up rings on eBay for about $20 and they have served me well.

[Drew Wiley]

I have a compact set of lenses for long distance treks or airline carry-on 4x5 usage standardized to 52mm filters with step ring adapters, and a 67mm set for sake of 8x10 lenses (often used on my 4x5 Sinar system too) and for most of my MF lenses. But I need a few 82's for a couple of my 6x7 lenses, and just a few 72's for Nikon. Then there are all kinds of odd ones from decades past.

[Havoc]

I got 2 with 67mm by accident (meaning I never tought of that). Now I just keep in the CM-W series so I don't need more filters. They have more sizes of lenses than I need so No worry.

[MIke Sherck]

Purely by chance I have only two filter sizes between my four lenses: three use 67mm filters and one uses 55mm. I only use four filters: red, yellow, orange and a polarizer so I just have eight filters.

[Vaughn]

I got 2 with 67mm by accident (meaning I never tought of that). Now I just keep in the CM-W series so I don't need more filters. They have more sizes of lenses than I need so No worry.

Its the Fuji W 360mm that has the 86mm filter size...

[neil poulsen]

Yep. I had a Mamiya RB67 system for a long time. So, that prompted me to standardize on 77mm, multicoated, Schott glass filters. All my 4x5 lenses are 77mm or smaller, so I have step up adapters, where needed, for each.

I have one 8x10 lens that's 82mm, my Repro Claron 610mm. So, I use a Lee lens shade for 8x10, and it can accommodate 4"x4" gels. I also have an 82mm B&W circular polarizer. So, I'm set for that lens.

I'd thought of standardizing on 82mm, now that I've sold all my RB67 equipment. But as filter size goes up, prices go up exponentially. I think that I'll probably stick with what I have.

[Huub]

For 35 i have to many lenses in to many different filter sizes to standardize. The original idea was to stick to the 49mm my first Pentax lenses take, but then i got lenses that take 58mm and 67mm and 77mm. So i have a decent set of 49mm filters and a few in bigger sizes for the other lenses. I don't use step-up rings in 35mm as the get in the way with the steel lenshoods i use.

When i got into 4x5 i pretty much standardized on 67mm - which i also use on some of my 35mm lenses - and got myself step-up rings for those lenses that use smaller filters. The step-up rings stay attached to the lenses.