Equipment Etiquette: Taping A Filter To Your Lens (Camera Lesson 24)

Introduction

If you’re like me, and you have chosen to invest in drop-in filters instead of screw-on filters, then you will comes across times when you need to lose the matte box and tape the filter directly onto the lens. It may be that you need to lose the additional weight of the matte box, it may be that you don’t have the physical space to rig the camera with the matte box on, or maybe you don’t have a matte box on you. Regardless of the reason, if you don’t do it correctly, you can damage the filter or the lens. So in this video I’ll show you how to tape that filter to the front of your lens.

Steps to Tape the Filter to Your Lens

The first thing you do is to pull off enough tape to wrap around your lens.

You can use any kind of tape to get the job done. But I recommend going with something that is adhesive enough that it holds the filter securely, without leaving a lot of residue. I’ve found that paper tape works well for this. Gaff tape can also work, but that leaves more residue on the filter and lens.

As you wrap the tape around the lens, be sure to leave enough tape hanging off to securely hold the filter. How much depends on the thickness of the tape you are using. With 2 inch tape, I’ll leave…

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