Home >> Hobbies >> Photography

How to Use a Step Up or Step Down Ring Polarizer

Stepping rings, also called step-up or step-down rings, allow a lens to mount filters with a slightly smaller or larger thread size. For example, if you own a lens with a 50-millimeter mounting thread but only have a 49-millimeter polarizing filter, a 49-52 millimeter step-up ring will allow for a proper fit. These rings are especially useful for photographers who own a variety of different lenses. Using a stepping ring with a polarizing filter requires the same mounting technique as any other photographic filter.

Things You'll Need

Air blower
Lens tissue
Lens cleaning solution

Instructions

- 1
  Blow away dirt or dust that may be recessed into the mount threads at the front of your lens barrel. Also clean away residue or grease smudges from the front lens element using a lens tissue moistened with lens-cleaning solution.
- 2
  Screw the stepping ring into the mount threads. Turn the ring clockwise until it fits snugly, but do not over-tighten, as this may cause damage to the lens' internal elements.
- 3
  Fit the polarizing filter into the threads of the stepping ring and rotate clockwise until it fits snugly. Depending on the manufacturer of the ring, you may need to rotate the filter counterclockwise to mount it successfully.
- 4
  Turn on your camera and look through the viewfinder to check for any vignetting, or dark corners near the edge of the frame. Lack of vignetting indicates that the ring and filter have been mounted successfully.
- 5
  Set your camera to an automatic metering mode, such as shutter priority ("Tv" on most mode dials) or aperture priority ("Av"). These modes will automatically set exposure compensation to account for the presence of the polarizing filter.

Photography