Rob, I was waiting to see whether anyone would answer your specific question, but since no one has, I'll give you what info I can. I don't have the 7mm S-W, but I do have the 5mm-8mm variable S-W. I absolutely love this eyepiece. The only comparison I can give is to a 5mm Takahashi LE and a 7.5mm Tak LE. The Taks are brighter, with the color of both Jupiter and Saturn closer to white, while the S-W is closer to a yellowish tan. But I can't discern any difference in detail. I live in the Pacific Northwest and rarely get skies steady enough for a serious test, but I did get one really steady night last year when I was able to see the festoons between Jupiter's N and S equatorial bands and the view was the same in both. In fact, I preferred the S-W because it wasn't as bright and therefore more comfortable. Another reason I preferred the S-W is because I use it in a 12.5", f/6 Dob and the AFOV of the Taks is pretty small, so I have to move the scope a LOT! The wide FOV of the S-W is such a treat, although it isn't quite as sharp at the edge (but the Taks have zero there so who cares).
I have heard that the S-W line requires a little more in-travel to reach focus than your normal eyepiece, so be forewarned. The only eyepiece I have that requires more in-focus travel is a 10mm Nikon adapted from a microscope eyepiece. The S-W is also pretty long, so it looks pretty odd, and rather heavy, although I don't know about the 7mm. Hope this helps.
Doug Tanaka
I have heard that the S-W line requires a little more in-travel to reach focus than your normal eyepiece, so be forewarned. The only eyepiece I have that requires more in-focus travel is a 10mm Nikon adapted from a microscope eyepiece. The S-W is also pretty long, so it looks pretty odd, and rather heavy, although I don't know about the 7mm. Hope this helps.
Doug Tanaka
