Marelux Wide Angle Port 180mm vs 230mm

[gozturkeri]

Hi folks,

 

I have a Sony a7rv with a Sigma 14-24mm F2.8 DG DNII lens and am strongly considering buying into the Marelux ecosystem soon. I'm new to UW photography, so my understanding is still at a theoretical level; pardon me if the question is basic.

 

As I was reviewing the port chart on the Marelux website, I noticed that both the 180mm and 230mm ports fit my wide-angle lens. I get the size/weight dynamics here, and my initial reaction was to get the 230mm due to quality, but I wanted to see what the experience is in the community for these Marelux ports' performance with ultra-wide angle lenses. If 180mm performs well with minimal issues for sub-16mm, is it even worth hauling the 230mm? 

Thank you in advance!

[Chris Ross]

5 minutes ago, gozturkeri said:

Hi folks,

 

I have a Sony a7rv with a Sigma 14-24mm F2.8 DG DNII lens and am strongly considering buying into the Marelux ecosystem soon. I'm new to UW photography, so my understanding is still at a theoretical level; pardon me if the question is basic.

 

As I was reviewing the port chart on the Marelux website, I noticed that both the 180mm and 230mm ports fit my wide-angle lens. I get the size/weight dynamics here, and my initial reaction was to get the 230mm due to quality, but I wanted to see what the experience is in the community for these Marelux ports' performance with ultra-wide angle lenses. If 180mm performs well with minimal issues for sub-16mm, is it even worth hauling the 230mm? 

Thank you in advance!

Depends on the lens in question, I know the Nauticam 180mm dome has a max angle of view of a 16mm lens with exit pupil positioned properly as the dome is not a full hemisphere.  The marelux has a slightly bigger throat which helps.    The Sigma lens you mention has a long minimum focus distance (28cm)  while some newer lenses focus a lot closer like the 17-28 f2.8 tamron which focuses down to 19cm.  This means it works well in smaller ports. 

 

You could buy the 17-28 tamron and the 180mm port for less than the price of the 230mm port and get a smaller lighter package that is easier to travel with.

 

Probably the more important question though is if a 14-17mm rectilinear wide lens is the right lens for what you want to shoot.  Fisheyes are very popular for reef scenics and wet optics with the WWL are popular for CFWA and make for a compact easy to shoot and flexible setup.