Filter question for D-7HI

[wjl]

I hope you kind folks out there can help. I have been reviewing posts on this site on the above subject and frankly I am confused. Some of the sites say you can not use 49mm filters unless they are 'thin ring' (I am looking for a UV for protection, not a CP at this time). Others say you can use them as long as you don't stack them. Others say you have to use a 49mm to 62mm setup (which would seem cumbersome to me). The bottom line is that the D-7HI is to expensive to not keep a filter on for protection. So I am asking the plain english question.

1. Can you use a regular 49mm filter such as a Hoya HMC (my usual choice in 35mm) and will it vignette or not at 28mm? Will it do it at 28-35mm? I ask this second question because on another site I actually saw several posts that said it would not vignette at 28mm but did vignette at 35mm which seem impossible to me since at 35mm you have a narrower field of view.
2. If you have to use thin ring, are there filters that would allow for a lens cap since some seem to indicate that you can not use a lens cap with these filters?
3. If you can vignette with a strait 49mm UV do you also have this problem if you are using the attached lens hood that Minolta supplies?
4. If you have to use a thinner ring (I think the Hoya is 5mm) is the 4mm B+W filter (I saw this at 2filter.com) any good and can it hold a lens cap etc. It sure is pricey.

Thanks all for any advice but as I said, I am really confused here on this subject. It seems to me that if Minolta put a 49mm thread it should work with 49mm filters (at least regular ones, not necessarly CP) but then, companies and engineers sometimes do werid things.

Thank you everyone.

WJL

[NHL]

Let me start by going from the bottom:

4. If you have to use a thinner ring (I think the Hoya is 5mm) is the 4mm B+W filter (I saw this at 2filter.com) any good and can it hold a lens cap

Yes, 5mm or less will do it. However since some of theses filters do not have front thread you can't attach your lens cap...

3. If you can vignette with a strait 49mm UV do you also have this problem if you are using the attached lens hood that Minolta supplies?

The supplied lens hood does not vignette, and is mounted via an external bayonet so it won't interfere with the filter... and will usually shield the front element -> you don't need to use the lens cap anymore!

2. If you have to use thin ring, are there filters that would allow for a lens cap since some seem to indicate that you can not use a lens cap with these filters?

The thickness of the filter is what caused the vignetting @ 28mm! When you use oversize filter, you can't attach the lens hood anymore since it has to go over the filter hence interfering with the bayonet mount...

1. Can you use a regular 49mm filter such as a Hoya HMC (my usual choice in 35mm) and will it vignette or not at 28mm? Will it do it at 28-35mm? I ask this second question because on another site I actually saw several posts that said it would not vignette at 28mm but did vignette at 35mm which seem impossible to me since at 35mm you have a narrower field of view.

I don't know (haven't try) but a Tiffen will!

[wjl]

NHL, thanks for the reply. I did a little further checking here and found out the following: The Tiffen filter you mentioned in you last response is 5.5mm thick. A Hoya is 5mm and a B+W is 4mm. Since the Tiffen is viginetting I would think it is because of the extra .5mm is making the difference if 5mm or less will avoid it. Any guess as to how much you have to back off from 28mm to eliminate it (30mm-32mm???).

Do you use a CP and if so what brand?

If you can post a pic here with Tiffen at 28mm, I would be very interested to see how much it viginettes.

WJL

[NHL]

Actually the CP used below was a Tiffen which is slighly thicker than normal:

[JimHunt]

Actually, the vignetting IS worse at 35mm than 28mm. A lot of us use a 49mm to 62mm stepping ring and 62mm filters. Not foolproof, but works fine for most filters.