Filter Adapter Rings page 6

What is an adapter ring?

An adapter ring is a narrow ring designed to serve as an intermediate piece for camera accessories with a different filter size than your lens. Tighten the adapter ring on the thread of the lens, then attach a lens hood, filter or front lens to the ring. The adapter ring allows you to mount it on your lens for accessories with a different size.

Step-up or step-down ring

There are two types of adapter rings on the market, the step-up and step-down. Step-up indicates that the accessories are larger than the lens. A adapter ring of 58-86 can therefore connect a lens with a diameter of 58mm to a lens hood or filter of 86mm. This ring is mainly used when you have multiple lenses and want a filter to fit all these lenses. Choose an adapter ring that corresponds to the smallest lens and a filter or accessories for the largest lens. Step-down stands for an accessory smaller than the lens. For example, you can think of a 77-58, where the 58mm stands for the size of the lens hood or filter.