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The author, photographed using his Sony Alpha 1 with Sony 28–60mm lens, Marelux A1 housing, Marelux Apollo III 2.0 strobes, and the Marelux Aquista 130 wet lens
 

The Marelux Aquista 130 is a wet wide-angle conversion lens initially designed for compact cameras, but it proves to be fully compatible with full-frame mirrorless systems when paired with short zoom lenses such as the Sony 28–60mm. This combination offers an impressively flexible solution for underwater shooters looking to capture wide angle, close-focus wide-angle (CFWA), and, by swapping optics, even macro subjects during the same dive.
 

Build Quality

The Marelux Aquista 130 is built with a robust anodized aluminum body and high-quality multi-coated glass elements, designed to withstand the demands of frequent underwater use. The construction feels solid and precise.  The lens is surprisingly compact, making it a convenient travel companion.

The lens is depth-rated to 100 meters (330 feet), offering sufficient tolerance for both recreational and technical diving. The domed front element is protected by a detachable neoprene cover and is recessed enough to reduce the risk of scratches during handling or water entries.
 

The Aquista 130 mounted on a Marelux A1 housing. The compact nature of the wet lens and its versatility make it a fine, flexible system, ready for whatever the ocean presents

Features and Compatibility

Mounted on the dedicated Marelux Macro Port 32, the Aquista 130 delivers a 130° field of view at 28mm. Its 12cm front diameter and optical design allow users to focus extremely close to the subject, enabling striking CFWA compositions. The bayonet adapter can be mounted on any compatible M67 flat port, which makes it usable with housings and ports from other brands.

For my testing, I paired the Aquista 130 with the Sony 28–60mm, a compact, lightweight, and affordable zoom lens that delivers surprisingly good image quality and autofocus performance—making it an ideal match for wet lens setups. However, the Aquista 130 is also compatible with other short zoom lenses from Nikon, Canon, and additional mirrorless systems. For a full list of supported lenses and recommended port configurations, users should refer to the Marelux port charts.
 

Field Experience

I tested the Aquista 130 in the waters near my home base, in Rijeka, Croatia, though the early summer season, combined with several days of rain, didn’t offer the best visibility conditions. In a way, this made it the perfect scenario to truly test the lens in a challenging environment. Poor visibility forces the photographer to stay close to the subject, and demands flexibility, fast operation, and a reliable setup.

In this context, the Aquista 130 paired with the Sony 28–60mm proved to be a very effective combination. Being able to move quickly from wide-angle shots to tighter compositions without changing lenses was a real advantage.
 

A beautiful Axinella sponge, photographed with a classic wide-angle composition, using the Aquista 130 with the Sony 28–60mm at 28mm. The wet lens allows a 130° field of view while maintaining sharpness and minimal distortion at close range
 

Zoomed in to 60mm with the Sony 28–60mm while using the Aquista 130 enables tighter framing of the same subject
 

By shooting my Sony A1 in APS-C mode and zooming in fully, a magnified and detailed view of the sponge’s texture is achieved—pushing the boundaries of wide-angle optics into near-macro territory without ever removing the Aquista 130
 

The Aquista 130 with the Sony 28–60mm at 28mm captures the full geometry of this starfish resting on the seabed
 

Zooming in allows for a tighter composition that begins to reveal the intricate surface textures and symmetry of the starfish’s central disc and arms
 

Using the zoom at 60mm along with the in-camera APS-C crop mode, a fine close-up highlights the starfish's surface microstructures—revealing vivid color patterns and textures
 

When used at the 60mm end of the zoom range, this setup becomes an excellent tool for capturing portraits of fish and other small marine animals. It allows for tight framing, good subject–background separation, and impressive sharpness in the central area of the frame. This makes it particularly effective in situations where proximity and compositional flexibility are key—such as in low visibility or when subjects are shy or fast-moving.

The 28–60mm paired with the Aquista 130 is capable of tracking speedy subjects and autofocus performance remains reliable throughout the zoom range. The use of focus tracking is a real advantage for this type of shot.
 

Image Quality

Image quality is solid for a wet-lens design. While sharpness at the center is very good, some softness and chromatic aberration appear at the edges. This edge degradation is typical of wet lenses, including similar models from other brands, is only noticeable at the widest focal lengths, and disappears as you zoom in.

The combination of the Aquista 130 and the 28mm focal length provides a field of view equivalent to that of a 14mm rectilinear lens. However, unlike a 14mm behind a large dome port, which typically shows even stronger distortion and edge softness unless stopped down significantly, this wet lens solution offers more controlled results in a much more compact setup. While edge degradation is still present, it's generally more manageable and requires less extreme apertures to achieve acceptable sharpness across the frame.
 

A clean fish portrait captured at 60mm in full-frame mode
 

This image shows how the Aquista 130, combined with the zoom range of the 28–60mm, can be used for expressive environmental portraits. The close-focus ability and wide field of view maintain a sense of place while drawing attention to the subject

Adaptability

A key strength of this setup is its modular adaptability. While the Aquista 130 is designed for wide-angle work, users can remove it mid-dive and replace it with a macro diopter mounted directly on the Sony 28–60mm. This is currently possible in a manual way, as a dedicated bayonet adapter for macro lenses is not yet available—but I hope it will be released soon. In my test, I simply unscrewed the bayonet adapter and attached the macro diopter directly to the port's M67 thread. This enables true macro photography, expanding the system's range beyond what the wide lens alone can deliver. It mirrors the flexibility of compact camera rigs but with full-frame resolution and dynamic range.

Additionally, full-frame bodies like the Sony A1 offer in-camera crop modes (APS-C), providing an effective 1.5x magnification while maintaining excellent image quality (and at around 20 megapixels), extending reach without sacrificing resolution.
 

A tiny nudibranch isolated on black for maximum contrast using a +15 diopter and cropped for clean composition
 

A delicate aeolid nudibranch gliding over green algae
 

A close-up look at the dense network of spines and tube feet reveals the extraordinary textures of this echinoderm
 

Close-up of the vivid surface texture and red papillae of a sea star, captured at high magnification
 

This tiny nudibranch, with its translucent body and yellow markings, was captured on a dark sponge using a +15 diopter lens

Video

When paired with the 28–60mm, the Aquista 130 also performs well for video. The lens delivers a distortion-controlled wide field of view, and the zoom capability allows smooth transitions from wide to detail shots—all while maintaining close focus.

In the field, this setup proved ideal in low-visibility conditions where proximity to the subject was necessary. Being able to cover both wide scenes and close-focus compositions within a single dive offers excellent versatility in a compact package.

Everything discussed in terms of photographic performance also applies to video. Minor flaws such as edge softness or corner aberrations are even less noticeable in video footage and generally become insignificant in real-world use.
 

Final Thoughts

The Marelux Aquista 130, when paired with the Sony 28–60mm, or equivalent lens from other systems, offers a flexible and compact underwater imaging solution that maintains excellent overall quality. While it doesn’t match the optical precision of the very best lenses on the market, its modular nature and ability to transition between wide, close-focus wide angle, and macro (via lens swaps) make it an ideal travel kit for photographers and videographers who want to be ready for anything on a single dive.
 

About the Author: Born in Milan, Italy in 1978, Pietro Formis has been an ocean lover since he was a child. Underwater photography became his passion from a young age and led him to explore the Mediterranean Sea, Italy’s fresh waters, and tropical locations around the world. He has published his work in many international magazines, including Unterwasser, Ocean Geographic, SUB, La rivista della Natura, Naturphoto, Rolling Stone Italia, OASIS, Photo Professional, La Repubblica, and Il Foglio. Pietro has also won many international awards, such as GDT – European Wildlife Photographer of the Year, Sony World Photography Awards, Ocean Art, Underwater Photographer of the Year, Ocean Geographic, BioPhotoContest, MML – Memorial Maria Luisa, among others. In 2019, he published the book “AQUA, Mysteries of the Underwater World” (Daniele Marson Editore), which was crowned “Best Underwater Book of the Year” by Underwater Photographer of the Year 2020. Pietro leads photographic workshops both locally and internationally. He is an EIZO Color Edge Creative partner, ambassador for photographic equipment brand Marelux, and ambassador for scuba diving gear Beuchat.