Filters for lenses that can’t take filters…

I’ve been meaning to do this for a while now, but watch the above video, it should clear up any questions anyone has on how to use filters with lenses that “can’t” take filters.  But that I mean wide lenses w/o proper threads for filters on the front.  The 3 biggest offenders are the sigma 12-24mm, the Nikon 14-24mm and the Panasonic 7-14mm.  I’ve owned all 3 lenses at one point or another (never at the same time) and I’ve used filters with all three.  You will need to be able to modify parts to make this work, but it does work.

For the sigma you use a 95mm adapter ring with spare cowl for the lens.  You can get the cowl from Sigma for ~$30 and the adapter ring wherever you get your filters.  Once you have the parts, you need to make the cowl so it slides onto the lens.  To do this you have to remove the metal lip by either grinding/milling it off, or cutting the front portion off the lens.  When you do this it’s likely you’ll destroy one of the 2 felt rings inside the cowl but they’re not needed for this.  MAKE SURE you remove all the metal filings before putting this back on your lens!  You then press fit the cowl into a 95mm cokin ring.  If you’re unsure what that means, get out a hammer, a piece of wood, and make it work….

For the Nikon, it’s a 105mm adapter ring (available where ever you get your filters) and a spare lens cap (available where ever you got your lens).  You cut the center out of the cap this time, either from the inside through the end, or you can cut the front ~5mm off completely.   You’ll be gluing this to the 105mm ring, so think ahead as to how you’re going to make that work.  I left a lip on the cap so it would glue inside the ring making it easier to line everything up.  This method means more careful filing though.  You also have to remove some of the material inside the cap as the hood on the 14-24mm actually gets thicker as you move in from the ends.  Take your time and it works though.

For the Olympus 7-14mm it’s a bit easier because everything is smaller.  It uses the 77mm adapter ring which you might already own…  With that ring you can use a livestrong band and make it work, or you can use the lens cap trick again.  The oly can also work with Z filters (4×6) which gives you a lot more options.  I only used the 7-14mm for a few weeks though so I never dialed it in honestly, but it DOES work.

Make sure you read the notes under the images below:

41 thoughts on “Filters for lenses that can’t take filters…”

  1. Hi Ben:
    I see you like some Sigma glass what do you think of the 50mm 1.4
    and the new wide angle lens. Sigma 12-24, thinking of getting these 2
    for my canon 1ds mkIII,
    Thanks Ben

    • the sigma 12-24mm is a sweatheart lens. Widest you’ll find on FF anywhere. It’s only rivaled by sigma’s 8-16mm version for croppers. It’s a bit soft in the corners, but stopped down it’s fine. It controls flare as well as canon’s Ls and has less distortion. It’s just “slow” and needs this filter trick, but otherwise it’s a TON of fun.

      As for the 50 the optics on it are amazing. It’s also a nice looking lens and feels great (size and weight). But it can have AF issues. I’ve had 4, of those, 2 needed MA but were OK with it, the other two, even with MA, couldn’t overcome the issue (they’d need on adjustment at close range and no adjustment at long range). If it weren’t for that, I’d love it. I’ve heard if you send them to sigma they can fix it, but I’ve also heard stories where it comes back with the same issue but needs a different MA value. But optically, they’re amazing.

      Ben

  2. Tired of screwing things in and out of my lenses, I bought this: Cokin P499 Universal Ring. It’s brilliant and fits on any lens. It allows the attachment of a wide angle filter holder which has minimal vignetting at 11mm (I have the Tamron 11-18mm). Also, its quick to take off and put back on if you want to mount a CPL or other filter onto your existing lens…

    • I also tried the universal ring, it’s actually how the first version of my holder worked. This is also used in the kit adorama sells. But the problem with the universal ring is that it’s very tedious to center each time you shoot. The X-pro sized ring is much bigger than the sigma 12-24mm OD and to keep the holder from vignetting everything needs to be centered. The “needles” will also eventually mark the lens barrel if you continually put it on and off the lens. For that reason, using the lenses lens cap and modifying it to slide onto the lens works much better even if it’s a bit more involved.

      Ben

  3. Hi Ben,

    great video. tks alot for sharing.

    Do you think it is possible to use a screw in 10 stop nd or Lee’s big stopper together with GND on sigma 8-16?

    tks alot

    • a screw in filter will NOT work. If you use a lee 10-stopper it might work as your only filter, but it’s smaller than the X-pros so it’d be very close… It’d probably work zoomed in a bit but not at 8mm. But you can order a 10-stop ND from formatt in whatever size you want, so I’d suggest going that route and just getting a custom made filter in the X-pro size.

  4. Ciao Ben,
    I see you are using with your filter holder system that you put
    the polarized behind the graduated filter,
    So it’s correct to do this , which is the difference ?

    thank you.

    • with the cokin setup, yes that is the correct order. The CP snaps into the holder at the end closest to the camera. If you’re using a normal threaded CP then it has to go on the lens BEFORE the holder and in that case I’d expect vignetting.

      Good Luck!
      Ben

  5. So, as far as i understand Cokin does not make 9-10 stop ND filters ?
    I just put order for Sigma 12-24, and will be using on D700.
    And just to recoup i will need from Cokin :
    1. 95mm adapter ring
    2. filter holder ( is there a different holders ? Like one, two or more ? )
    3. ND graduated filters ( are you using soft or hard grads ? )
    4. one livestrong arm band

    Thanks a lot,
    Sergey.

    • cokin makes them but I’ve NEVER (in ~4 years) seen the 10-stop in stock anywhere. Formatt (from the UK) will make them in any size you want and ship any where you want and quoted me ~$150 for one in this size. Yes on the 95mm ring. For the holder there is only one X-pro sized holder, it holds 2 panels or 1 panel and the CP (which doesn’t work at super wide angles, you’ve got to zoom to 17~18 for it to work). With the NDs for the X-pro, there aren’t options for hard -vs- soft, there’s just the one type. I’d say it’s between the 2 really, it looks like a 4×6 soft but when stretched out to this size (and used with lenses this wide) it’s a quicker transition than soft but slower than hard. I’d suggest you get the cokin kit that comes with the three filters, pouch and holder. The livestrong band can be ANY band, but yes, it makes it much more stable and it keeps the holder from sliding off the front of the lens when you’re pointing the camera down (ask me how I learned I needed it…).

      Good Luck!
      Ben

  7. Hi Ben, thanks for sharing this video! It really opens up possibilities and I think many are grateful.

    I have one quick question regarding using your rig on the 14-24 f/2.8
    I understand that using 1 GND will not have vignetting at 14mm, but is it able to put 2 GNDs on this X Pro DIY rig without vignetting? I’d love to hear your views.

    Thanks a lot! 🙂

    • it’s been a long time, but I’m pretty sure there was slight vignette at 14mm with 2? But that could have been the 12-24mm as well since it was wider. Do I mention it in the video review? I haven’t watched it in a long time. Ha Ha. Good Luck! Ben

    • Thank you for your quick reply Ben!
      I see…but at least I can still use 1 filter on the 14-24 at 14mm and maybe 2 filters at 15mm.
      Thanks so much! Please allow me to ask questions again when I make my rig! 🙂

    • Good Luck! I keep thinking I’ll pick up another 12-24mm eventually. It’s a ton of fun having something that wide. I don’t NEED wider than 17mm often, but there are times it’d really allow me to get a shot I can’t with my 17-40…

      Ben

  8. does this applies to sigma 8-16?
    if i order an ND in the size of X-pro, and do it exactly how you did it, will i get vignette at 8mm?

    secondly do you have any ideas on how to protect the front element of the lens?
    while usual lens can have uv filter, what should i do for this lens?
    i cant keep the X-pro ND filter (when i do get it) on the lens all the time as it will not fit my bag.
    please help me.

    • It should work with the sigma 8-16 but I’ve never owned one to try it. It DOES work on their 12-24mm on FF so the 8-16 is basically the same thing made for a cropper. As for protection I just use the built in hood and the lenscap. Yes it’d be nice to have the option for a UV at times, but that’s impossible with this lens. Just be careful and clean it as needed and keep the cap on as much as possible.

      Good Luck!
      Ben

  9. I love your ideas and I just got a nikon 14-24mm. I want to create a filter holder, it just seems that the Lee system provides more options as far as filters. Have you tried the nikon lens cap with the lee 105mm adapter ring?

    • I don’t own the lens anymore. Not sure if the Lee system offers any more options, neither seems to have many since you’re locked into that manufactures options at their proprietary size… But if I were going Lee, I’d spend the money and get their whole adapter, theirs can’t fall off…

      Good Luck!
      Ben

  10. Hi Ben! I know it’s been a long time since you last did this video lol, but for the Cokin X Pro holder, I need the 105mm adapter ring. However, there’re 2 types, one with 75 thread pitch, and another with 100 thread pitch. If I’m using this DIY rig on my 14-24 f/2.8, does it matter which ring I get? (since the lens has no threads anyway!)

    Just trying to find out so I don’t get the wrong adapter!

    Thank you!

    • thread pitch doesn’t matter. You have to file down the outside lip of the nikon cap to make this work. The cap then fits INSIDE the filter ring, not where the threads are. I actually filed my threads off once I was done as they were sharp enough to peel skin off my finger tips if I grabbed it there taking it off the lens.

      Ben

    • Many thanks for the quick reply Ben! I understood where you were getting at. The adapter ring fits over and outside the cap, so the threads do not play any part in the rig.
      Also, I realised that If I want to look for a PVC pipe instead of a Nikon lens cap, I might have to take note not to get one with too big a diameter (max diameter of 103mm or less) so that the ring can fit over it.

      Thanks again!

    • Well, when I made mine, I actually had to file a lip INTO the edge of the nikon lens cap. The next filter size up might have fit easier, IE filling a gap instead of sanding the lenscap down to make it work. Filing the cap down to fit inside the ID of the ring wasn’t easy, but it make a great final product.

      Good Luck!
      Ben

  11. I just got an Olympus Zuiko 12mm lens for my GF2 which has a 46mm filter size. I can’t find an adapter for a normal sized filter holder in this size, but I have been able to find an A-Series holder for 46mm. My thought is this, what if I bought the A-Series adapter and then glued it to a larger adapter (say a 77m or an 82mm) for a normal sized filter holder. Do you think this would work?

  12. Hey Ben,

    Love that you are sharing your experience with us 🙂 Thank you for that, great video. I want to make a setup like this for my Sigma 10-20mm. Teamwork Photo & Digital offer the Hitech 150 Setup and I was wondering if you know if it will vignette on the sigma 10-20mm ? I emailed them about it and they advised me that they cant guarantee that it wont vignette on the lens and that some photographers are prepared to accept this and accept this and use their lenses at a less extreme settings.

    They did however mention in the email that “Hitech are about to introduce a new ultrawide holder system”. This information was sent to me today, And are you aware of this new ultra wide system coming out ?

    Thanks again

    • The sigma 10-20 doesn’t need special filters. It actually works with Ps if you don’t need to use angles past 15 degrees, and the standard 4×6 filters work at any angle on there with even three filters stacked… I’ve even used that lens on FF with a 1.4 TC with filters and it still works. And yeah, I’ve heard rumors of the new hitech setup, but until we see it and it’s shipping it doesn’t really matter.

      Good Luck,
      Ben

  13. Hi Ben! Thank you for sharing this valuable information. I have the panasonic 7-14mm wanted to know more how you attach the cokin system as i wanted to use the smaller cokin p holder not the larger cokin z pro holder as it probably the cheapest and might be suitable for the lens. You mention about fitting it on olympus 7-14mm in your article. Did you mean the panasonic 7-14mm which is the smaller version for micro four third system? Can the smaller holder cokin p holder fits on the panasonic 7-14mm and does it vignett at the wide end? Thank you..

    • Sorry, yes, I mean the panasonic 7-14mm. Amazing lens. Not sure about the Ps as I’ve never owned them. What you can try is to cut a piece of paper to that size of a p filter and hold that in front of the lens. If it completely blocks the view of the lens it might work, it’ll come down to the size of the holder. But Ps are closer to Zs than I though, I saw some this weekend.

      Good Luck,
      Ben

  14. Ben,

    I read your post on filters and thank you so much for clarifying everything. I am starting out with filters and I have a sigma 8 – 16 uwa. Is it possible to mount the Lee Ultra wide kit on the sigma 8 – 16 the same way you did with the cokin mount ?

    Thanks,

  15. Ben, it’s been a long time on this thread but I have to say it, you simply rock! I searched and searched for a solution for my beloved Sigma 12-24 and couldn’t find except either a fix with much vignetting or break the bank on a SW150. I have just bought a Cokin X-Pro holder and a 95 ring both for $60 on FM! I just couldn’t figure out where to buy the Sigma hood since I couldn’t find it on Sigma’s website, do you happen to know where I can find it? Also, which filter sizes suit the Cokin X-Pro holder (Lee, Cokin, Singh Ray) and is their a stopper that suits it?

    I really appreciate it!
    Hussain

  16. Hey Ben,
    Do you know of any conversions like these for the Nikon 14mm 2.8? I’d love to be able to get my grad filters on there and not have to hold em.

    Thanks for the cool video!

    Jon