Is anyone here using a step down ring on an AF-S 50/1.8G Nikkor?

[David H. Hartman]

I'd like to use a 58-52mm step down with the AF-S 50/1.8G so I can use 52mm filters and a Nikon HN-3 lens hood as I own no 58mm accessories. I'm wondering if I'll have problems with vignetting?

Thanks!

Dave

[Roland Vink]

The AFS 50/1.8 has a fairly generous sized front name ring, I think a 58-52mm step-down ring wouldn't intrude much beyond that (if at all) so I wouldn't expect any vignetting.

You could try attaching a 52mm filter to your lens with some blobs of blu-tack and run some tests to see if vignetting results (before/after shots wide open and stopped down). That should give you a good idea if a step-down ring would work.

[richardHaw]

I think that the 58mm choice has more to do with accommodating the girth of the barrel than the optics. 

[Akira]

David, I've had exactly the same idea except for HN-3.  I have all parts mentioned (including HN-3), so I did a quick test by focusing the combo by shooting reasonably distant scenes (which will cause the vignetting most likely) with the overcast sky (to see the vignetting better if it shows up).

The result was that I could see no trace of vignetting caused by the 58-52 step-down ring and a 52mm protection filter neither at f16, f5.6 nor f1.8.

That said, I observe the entrance pupil is covered by the step-down ring and the 52mm filter combo when I looked into the lens at oblique angles.  So, I would suspect that the bokeh circles might be affected.

[Hugh_3170]

Well, it is an inexpensive idea to try out.  I have the lens, but not the step down ring, else I would check it out for you.

Edit:  Get a piece of black cardboard or some heavy black paper and cut a 52mm hole (or thereabouts) out of the paper or cardboard to simulate the 52mm aperture and tape it to your lens and see if you get vignetting or constraints to the field of view.

However I would be surprised if it doesn't work for 135 / FX format cameras, and for APS-C / DX I am sure that it would work.

What format camera do you have in mind David?

[Akira]

By the way, I used to use 62-52 step-down ring (more precisely, BR-5 reverse-mount adapter) on AF-D Micro 60/2.8 to use a 52mm filter.  At that time, I had a DX body and the idea worked perfectly.  Considering the construction of AF-S Micro 60/2.8, the method should work without any problem.

Actually, I can see no reason for AF-S 60/2.8 Micro having a filter thread as large as 62mm...

[Asle F]

By the way, I used to use 62-52 step-down ring (more precisely, BR-5 reverse-mount adapter) on AF-D Micro 60/2.8 to use a 52mm filter.  At that time, I had a DX body and the idea worked perfectly.

On FX, this will vignett a little at big apertures combined with focus on long distances. At smaller apertures or shorter distances, it works flawless.

I use an old camera (FE) that can stay with the backdoor and the shutter open, for inspecting vignetting.

[Roland Vink]

Actually, I can see no reason for AF-S 60/2.8 Micro having a filter thread as large as 62mm...

Wasn't this the attachment size for the Nikon ring-flash? I think that is partly why the filter attachment size for all Nikon AF micro lenses is 62mm.

[David H. Hartman]

Well I guess I'll pickup a 58-52mm step down ring so I have one.

I like the performance of the new lenses I've bought lately but the size is another thing. I knew before buying but still it's a surprise. The camera bag I was using is a Tamrac Zoom Traveler from the late '90s. It's entirely too small for a AF-S 20/1.8G ED, AF-S 50/1.8G and AF-S 105/2.8G ED Micro-Nikkor. The girth of the last one is considerable compared to the 105/2.8 Micro-Nikkor. My eyesight is holding up pretty well but I need bifocals to shoot. I can't use a 1.2x on the D800 which I could with the D2H.

So one goal here is to make the 50/1.8G smaller for storage in a bag. Another is to have a way to use 52mm accessories. I'm not a fan of reversing lens hoods. I have to do it with the new 105/2.8G ED Micro where I did not do it with the 105/2.8 AIS even though I was using an HS-14 hood.

So I'll get a 58-52mm down step ring but I'm going to have to find a new solution for carrying a small system on a daily basis. A new bag is a subject for another  thread.

Thank you to all!

Dave

I'll still follow this thread if there are more comments.

[Roland Vink]

Which filters do you use? It might be simplest just to bite the bullet and buy a 58mm filter.

The front element of the AFS 50/1.8G is well recessed and shaded (at least near infinity) so you may not need an additional hood. If the hood is mainly to protect the front rim of the lens from impact damage, find a cheap 58mm UV filter, knock the glass out, and screw on the empty ring. That alone will give you a bit more shading, and the lens cap still fits.

Or buy a 58-62mm step-up ring so it matches your AFS 105 micro.

[Akira]

Wasn't this the attachment size for the Nikon ring-flash? I think that is partly why the filter attachment size for all Nikon AF micro lenses is 62mm.

So, it is for the backward compatibility?  The genuine mounting ring for the current SB-R200 require dedicated adapters for various filter threads anyway, and thus there should be no need for the lenses to stick with 62mm...

[David H. Hartman]

Nikon started with most lenses using 52mm and 72mm. Then there were models where a 52mm wasn't large enough and 72mm was over kill. I think most here know this. I guess it's in the last decade that Nikon has thrown this out and they now use anything. I guess most don't use filters anymore. It's a pain to me.

In the case of the AF 60/2.8(D) and AF-S 60/2.8G I'd think the barrel design is the reason for the large filter.

Dave

[Akira]

In the case of the AF 60/2.8(D) and AF-S 60/2.8G I'd think the barrel design is the reason for the large filter.

That makes only for AF-D.  The fixed front element of AF-S can be covered by a smaller filter without vignetting no matter which distance the lens is focused.  Even though you don't use a filter, you can put on/off the lens cap way more easily with the hood on, when you use the step-down ring.