Is it okay to use an adapter to put a 52mm filter on a 55mm thread size lens?

Question

I am a Nikon guy and all of the lens I use are 52mm filter thread size. I have relatively expensive filters and they are all 52mm. I was looking around for a compact zoom lens and found the 55-200mm. The old version uses a 52mm thread but the new VR2 lens has a 55mm. I really don't want to buy new filters. Actually Formatt-Hitech doesn't make 55mm filters. So do I get some adapter rings and put up with the vignetting or buy the old 55-200mm VR lens which has the correct thread size.

I am leaning towards simply getting the old 55-200mm lens but I don't know how much better the updated version is. I would never use my ND filters on a larger thread size lens as shooting long exposure with a telephoto is rather difficult. So I am mainly wondering how much vignetting would be caused by mounting a 58mm circular polarizer (if I bought a new filter) to a 52mm or 55mm thread size lens?

Thanks for the help, Franklin

Answer 1

It is probably worth noting that I just bought the ND filters and as such can most likely (it would be a hassle and I would have to pay for return shipping) return them for the next size up (which is 58mm so I would still have to use an adapter).

Reality check: you are putting the hassle of returning a wrongly bought filter set above your freedom to choose the lens you want. Think about whether your priorities are in the correct order.

I really don't want to buy new filters.

Why are you so attached to this filter purchase? It looks like you are afraid to return the filters because that would make it look like the original purchase was a mistake.

Now you are trying to find lenses that fit the filters and not the other way round as it should be.

Imagine at some point in the future you cannot print that awesome image you took from that once-in-a-lifetime photo opportunity as big as you want to because you bought a lower resolution body because of the lower resolving lens which you bought because of the … filters' thread diameter? Of course that's all worth it because you saved the cost for the return shipping of the filters! I'm exaggerating here (can't you tell ;) ), but you get the idea. Where will the chain of compromises end?

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I would never use my ND filters on a larger thread size lens as shooting long exposure with a telephoto is rather difficult.

I'm afraid I cannot quite follow that reasoning. It looks like the assumption here is that bigger filter thread size means telephoto lens. 77mm for example is a filter thread size that quite a few wide angle lenses have. And long exposure is pretty much the same difficulty with any lens, because you'd use a tripod anyway. Doing it with a telephoto gives the option to create a stitched panorama for more pixels and thus bigger prints, but I don't see how taking several instead of a single image is "rather difficult".

So I am mainly wondering how much vignetting would be caused by mounting a 58mm circular polarizer (if I bought a new filter) to a 52mm or 55mm thread size lens?

As the 58mm filter is bigger, it would not bring more vignetting to the table.

Answer 2

It may be doable. You may find some vignetting on wider focal lengths but none on the long end of the zoom (I'm a professional photographer- what you are trying to achieve is totally fine in my opinion...)

Answer 3

The easiest would be to get 58mm filters and then 2 thin (made not to vignette) adapters. A larger filter will almost always work. It may add some vignetting to what the lens already has on some lens. This would be about 1 stop or less and is easily corrected in procession. If this did occur it would normally be at the widest setting of the lens. 98% of the time it will work with no vignetting on a zoom lens like you are getting. I would suggest always getting the best lens you can afford and then worry about the filters. The lens should last a long time and the filter is more likely to get replaced one day.