Step Up Ring vs Step Up Adapter

[Elisha]

i was initially confused since they both sound like they do the same thing.
so is the step up adapter mainly for wide angle and telephoto lenses since it is sturdier and can seem to support the weight?

and the step up ring mostly only for filters since i doubt it will be able to hold a lens?

reason i ask is cause i have a 58mm polarizer from an old SLR and it looks like i can just get away with the 52mm to 58mm step up ring instead of getting a step up adapter.

[Razr]

i was initially confused since they both sound like they do the same thing.
so is the step up adapter mainly for wide angle and telephoto lenses since it is sturdier and can seem to support the weight?

and the step up ring mostly only for filters since i doubt it will be able to hold a lens?

reason i ask is cause i have a 58mm polarizer from an old SLR and it looks like i can just get away with the 52mm to 58mm step up ring instead of getting a step up adapter.

You can do that. Where practical, you mght procure large filters to fit most of your lenses and use step up/down rings to fit a perticular lens. Vignetting could be a problem in some instances.

I know of no "step up adapter". Do you have an inage of one or better still, how does a step-up adapeter look?

Step-up/step-down rings do hold (screw-on) lenses, as in my Olympus T-CON mated to a 55-62mm step-up ring (shown here) for my FZ20

[Elisha]

sorry i should say lens adapter instead.....
the reason i ask is cause i want to get a TC but they are mostly 55mmm threaded.
and Panasonic has this for my camera: http://www.henrys.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/PageDisplay?dest=frames.jsp&currency=CAD&storeId=10001

do i actually need that to be able to support the weight of a TC or can i just get away with the 52mm to 55mm step up ring?

[Razr]

sorry i should say lens adapter instead.....
the reason i ask is cause i want to get a TC but they are mostly 55mmm threaded.
and Panasonic has this for my camera: http://www.henrys.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/PageDisplay?dest=frames.jsp&currency=CAD&storeId=10001

do i actually need that to be able to support the wifght of a TC or can i just get away with the 52mm to 55mm step up ring?

Yes. And you should consider that the Oly 1.7 plus that 3" steel lens hood are being supported by a 55-62 steel-up ring (see below)

The T-CON (shown below) is 55mm

[Elisha]

is the shiny ring at the bottom of the first pic the step up ring and the adapter at the bottom of the 2nd pic the lens hood adapter?
so technically for a TC lens the step up ring alone is not strong enough to support it right?