How do you store/carry your circular filters?

[xkaes]

What kind of metal caps? Is there a name for them?

Pretty much "screw-in XXmm metal lens cap" front / rear.

 

[Patrick Robert James]

Stacked. In three decades I’ve never had any stick together. That is just ridiculousness.

 

[Pieter12]

Stacked. In three decades I’ve never had any stick together. That is just ridiculousness.

Have you never had a filter stick to a lens? Wonder why they sell sets of filter wrenches?

 

[grahamp]

Have you never had a filter stick to a lens? Wonder why they sell sets of filter wrenches?

That's for those who do have stuck filters

I keep my 77mm filters I use with my large format gear - typically a yellow, green, red, and ND4 - in a plastic screw-top tub that used to hold facial cleansing wipes. It is just the right size. Too much of the 'right size' sometimes. It can take a minute to get the stack out of the tub... But it is resilient.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Stacked. In three decades I’ve never had any stick together. That is just ridiculousness.

No, it happened to me only once, but once was more than enough. You have just been lucky so far. How much longer will your luck run?

 

[Despite_it_all]

I modified a design and now I 3D print those sweet filter boxes.

58mm Filter Holder by Build-0-Matic

This is a remix of the excellent lens filter case by TheCrazyPrinter.I found that the logo that that's in the bottom slows down the printing, so I decided to remove it using MeshMixer.This design features some cutouts in the bottom part to help in grabbing the filters.There's also a small hole...

www.thingiverse.com

Now that is brilliant.

Thank you for sharing your plans, @Xylo! Coincidently, I do have access to a 3D printing machine.

 

[Besk]

These days I am doing b&w only.
Two filter wallets. 52mm for 35mm camera lenses. And 67mm for large format.
The extras are stored away in a box which originally held business sized envelopes.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

Google Search

Pretty much "screw-in XXmm metal lens cap" front / rear.

Currently I use the original plastic screw type enclosure the filter came in. I magic marked the outside of each with the type filter and how many stops to add for exposure. But each one is separate. I use all my 77mm medium format filters on my large format 4x5 lenses with step-up adapters to keep the quantity of sizes down to 77mm except for a square setup from Cokin for GND. But the metal enclosures look tempting because they look thinner and would take up less space in my case.

I just wonder how you can figure if they're thick enough to hold the filter?

 

[Sirius Glass]

Currently I use the original plastic screw type enclosure the filter came in. I magic marked the outside of each with the type filter and how many stops to add for exposure. But each one is separate. I use all my 77mm medium format filters on my large format 4x5 lenses with step-up adapters to keep the quantity of sizes down to 77mm except for a square setup from Cokin for GND. But the metal enclosures look tempting because they look thinner and would take up less space in my case.

I just wonder how you can figure if they're thick enough to hold the filter?

If I am using black & white film, I may have the following filters:

1. UV
2. Polarizer
3. Yellow
4. Orange
5. Red
6. IR filter
7. Green

That means a lot of the plastic cases that do not stay together and slide around in a camera bag pocket or in the camera bag. That means that they are not an any particular order and to get the filter that I need at the moment, that I must pick up almost every filter or every filter to get the filter that I want. If the filters are in a filter case, I can open the case and see the filter that I want and pick it out directly. I have never used gelatin filters.

 

[DWThomas]

I just wonder how you can figure if they're thick enough to hold the filter?

You can't miss -- they screw into the filter threads, a set of stacking caps has one female thread and one male.

Here's my 77mm B&W stack:

I also have a separate stack for color and polarizer filters.
Being somewhat -- uh -- obsessive, I have made labels for content and filter factors.

 

[Sirius Glass]

You can't miss -- they screw into the filter threads, a set of stacking caps has one female thread and one male.

Here's my 77mm B&W stack:
View attachment 344699

I also have a separate stack for color and polarizer filters.
Being somewhat -- uh -- obsessive, I have made labels for content and filter factors.

The label is a great idea. I did that for years until it had some filters in the stack bind together, and while the plastic filter wrenches solved the problem I would rather just avoid it especially with 67mm, 77mm or 95mm filters.

 

[Despite_it_all]

Agreed. The label is a fantastic idea. Who can remember that stuff?

 

[xkaes]

If I am using black & white film, I may have the following filters:

1. UV
2. Polarizer
3. Yellow
4. Orange
5. Red
6. IR filter
7. Green

Throw in 1 or 2 ND filters, 1 or 2 SF filters (I use Minolta Portrayers), 1 or 2 CU filters, a CND filter, and who knows what else, and you've got quite a stack -- but SAVED a lot of space. Don't forget a pouch to protect the outside of the stack!

https://www.ebay.com/sch/79001/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=metal+stack+caps&_sop=15

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

If I am using black & white film, I may have the following filters:

1. UV
2. Polarizer
3. Yellow
4. Orange
5. Red
6. IR filter
7. Green

That means a lot of the plastic cases that do not stay together and slide around in a camera bag pocket or in the camera bag. That means that they are not an any particular order and to get the filter that I need at the moment, that I must pick up almost every filter or every filter to get the filter that I want. If the filters are in a filter case, I can open the case and see the filter that I want and pick it out directly. I have never used gelatin filters.

I've stayed away from those cases that hold a few filters. They seem like dust collectors. When you open it to get one filter, all the other filters are exposed to the air and dust.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

You can't miss -- they screw into the filter threads, a set of stacking caps has one female thread and one male.

Here's my 77mm B&W stack:
View attachment 344699

I also have a separate stack for color and polarizer filters.
Being somewhat -- uh -- obsessive, I have made labels for content and filter factors.

Dave they seem to have problems like those filter cases. When you unscrew to get one filter, a couple of others are exposed to dirt and dust. When you're unscrewing the pack to get one in the middle, where do you set the rest of the pack down so the rest of the filters aren't scratched or get dirty and dusty? Having separate enclosures seems to reduce that issue. I just stick the case for the one filter I'm using into my breast pocket.

 

[tom williams]

No, it happened to me only once, but once was more than enough. You have just been lucky so far. How much longer will your luck run?

I've been using the metal stacks for a few years, and have had a sticking problem very occasionally. I can cause sticking by screwing the stack, or a filter in the stack, too tightly. Or by applying too much pressure to the filter I'm trying to unscrew: it's easy to deform a filter just enough to create resistance, causing me to clench and twist harder, resulting in more deformity .... !#*&%

I favor the metal stacks in my camera backpack or hiking pack because they add essentially no extra volume over that of the filters themselves, and they easily withstand the minor impacts and abrasions that they meet when I'm bushwacking (or just being clumsy). I can carry a couple of stacks, and a set of step-up rings, in a small pouch hanging on the outside of my pack, without worrying that the filters will be damaged.

Having to deal with three pieces when changing filters - top & bottom of the stack, plus the filter I'm taking out or putting back - can be pretty awkward in tight spots. Alan's comments along these lines in post #40 are right on.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I've stayed away from those cases that hold a few filters. They seem like dust collectors. When you open it to get one filter, all the other filters are exposed to the air and dust.

I tend to avoid cases that only hold a few filters; I like holders of 10 or more if possible.

 

[Disconnekt]

I only have a few lenses, & I have a cpl filter on each lens. For the oddball filters I have (a couple 85a filters & a skylight filter), I just leave 'em in the plastic case they came in.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

I've been using the metal stacks for a few years, and have had a sticking problem very occasionally. I can cause sticking by screwing the stack, or a filter in the stack, too tightly. Or by applying too much pressure to the filter I'm trying to unscrew: it's easy to deform a filter just enough to create resistance, causing me to clench and twist harder, resulting in more deformity .... !#*&%

I favor the metal stacks in my camera backpack or hiking pack because they add essentially no extra volume over that of the filters themselves, and they easily withstand the minor impacts and abrasions that they meet when I'm bushwacking (or just being clumsy). I can carry a couple of stacks, and a set of step-up rings, in a small pouch hanging on the outside of my pack, without worrying that the filters will be damaged.

Having to deal with three pieces when changing filters - top & bottom of the stack, plus the filter I'm taking out or putting back - can be pretty awkward in tight spots. Alan's comments along these lines in post #40 are right on.

Sort of like removing a slice of bread from the middle of a loaf.

 

[Xylo]

Now that is brilliant.

Thank you for sharing your plans, @Xylo! Coincidently, I do have access to a 3D printing machine.

One thing I like is having it printed in a fluorescent color. That way if it falls out of my bag I can easily find it in the field. (unlike that close-up set in it's black case that I lost a few years ago and couldn't find)

 

[xkaes]

I also use metal stack caps for my close-up lenses (filters), but I normally keep them in a separate stack.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I also use metal stack caps for my close-up lenses (filters), but I normally keep them in a separate stack.

Ditto

 

[Despite_it_all]

My library does free 3D printing so long as you send accurate plans to them.

Thanks to @Xylo for posting his fantastic schematics. Because of him, I was able to score a free 3-filter holder for my 52mm's. All three nest perfectly without very much wiggling, yet also not having to screw them together. Just sorta laying them on top of each other.

This was a test and now that I'm quite satisfied, I'll move on to a few other sizes (which are outlined in his plans).

In the future, I may look for a soft case but for now, this is a tough one to beat!

 

[Xylo]

Thanks to @Xylo for posting his fantastic schematics

Thanks for the nice words. The fun thing about this design is that you can scale it as you wish using Microsoft 3D in order to accommodate different filter sizes.

 

[John Earley]

I only have two sizes -- 55mm and 77mm. For each size, I stack them together and have front and rear metal caps. VERY compact.

I do the same with 52 and 67 filters