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I recently stepped up to Nikon DSLR equipment from a Panasonic FZ-20. I currently have a bevy of lenses with the following filter sizes:

  • 52 mm
  • 55 mm
  • 67 mm
  • 72 mm

I also have a Hama 72 mm collapsible rubber hood which I quite like.

My old polarizer is 62 mm so it's not terribly useful. I want to get a new one, and ideally I'd like to not have to replace it due to lens size changes (again).

I'm considering getting a 77 mm CPL filter. There happens to be NIB Hoya 77 mm one for sale on my local Craigslist. It's a pretty good price compared to what I could get at retail.

77 mm is somewhat attractive to me since it will almost certainly be the largest filter I'll need as my lens collection grows. However, 72 mm would probably suit me well to, as the lenses I've been looking at have all been 72 mm or less. I've checked out a few 77 mm lenses (in particular the Nikkor 12-24mm f/4 AF-S DX), and they're enticing, but probably more than I need for right now.

Stepping up from my <72 mm lenses to 72 mm or 77 mm seems like the right way to go. However, I'm not in a hurray to lose/replace my 72 mm hood. So I'm considering getting the 77 mm CPL and then getting a 72mm step-down ring to mount the hood on it.

My question is whether or not this is a crazy idea. I know that this will probably cause vignetting on a real 77 mm lens (especially for the wide-angle lens I'd probably get). But given that I'm not in the market for a 77 mm lens right at this moment, I'm wondering if it's worth the trouble. What do the experts think?

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I only have 4 sizes of lenses and the larger two have special filters.

Of the two smaller diameter lenses, 55mm and 52mm: I use 55mm filters and use a step up ring for my 52mm lenses. I ended up buying a cheap used 55mm lens cap for the smaller lens as the step up ring just lives on it now.

In your case, I'd recommend getting two sets of filters. stepping up from 67 to 72 isn't that big of a jump, just as the 52 to 55 isn't too big. But I can't say I've seen a step up ring go from 52 to 77mm. Even if you can get one, would you want to?

67 to 77 is also a fairly big step and likely to feel awkward when adjusting the circular polarizer. If you end up with a 77mm diameter lens in the future, then it may be worth investing in a small set of appropriate filters at the time.

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