OpenTube

Best 7mm Eyepiece? Houdini Coma-Correcting vs Tele Vue Nagler

Tsula's Big Adventures

4,854 views

🔭 Houdini 7mm Coma-Correcting vs Tele Vue 7mm Nagler — Side-by-Side Eyepiece Review & Comparison! 🔭
In this video, I put two popular high-magnification eyepieces head-to-head to see how they perform under the stars. We’re comparing:
✨ Houdini 7mm Coma-Correcting Eyepiece — A new contender designed to tame coma and deliver sharp edge-to-edge views.
✨ Tele Vue 7mm Nagler Eyepiece — A classic, premium eyepiece known for its crisp optics and immersive views.
Whether you’re into planetary detail, lunar observing, or deep-sky splitting power, I break down how each eyepiece performs in real-world observing conditions. We’ll cover:
🔹 Optical sharpness
🔹 Field flatness & edge performance
🔹 Contrast & ghosting
🔹 Comfort, eye relief & build quality
🔹 Value for money
I’ll also share sample views, on-scope footage, and my honest thoughts on where each eyepiece shines — so you can decide which one belongs in your kit!
👉 Which one is best for you? High-end classic performance, or innovative coma correction? Watch to find out!
Here is a link to the previous video I made about the Houdini 20mm and 12mm eyepieces:
Houdini Eyepiece Test and Review

20 Comments

@xzavier8184 4 months ago

Lots of well known cloudy nights forum users seem to swear by the Astro tech xwa 100 degree series as being the best 7mm. I’d love to get your take on that series, especially since it is priced so well compared to its competitors! I have the 7mm Nagler in this video and it’s a wonderful eyepiece!

@tonyzazzaro1275 4 months ago

Thank you for this wonderful review. I am very grateful I don’t have to replace my 7 mm Nagler 😉. Keep up the good work Tsula 💫

@lucasmorawetz4934 1 month ago (edited)

The thing with Naglers is that they don’t produce coma themselves, if you see come in a Nagler then it’s not the eyepiece fault, its the telescope itself that produces coma. Naglers are just build different especially if used at long focal length, i own a 31mm Nagler and it it doesn’t produces no extra coma and only shows the coma from the telescope itself wich gets practically invisible at magnitude 0 and fainter

@mephInc 4 months ago

My 7mm is great, and I'm eagerly awaiting their 30.
Thank you for your work.

@manolismavrelis5854 4 months ago

thanks for the comparison !

@rg3388 4 months ago

Yes, coma can always be avoided via magnification. The real challenge will be for the 30mm. Fingers crossed.

@lindafinch8983 4 months ago

Hi Tsula, thanks for this informative and interesting review! This information is a great help towards making a good choice when buying a new eyepiece and this will certainly help anyone thinking of buying one of these. That 7mm Houdini sounds like an interesting option. Rather envious of that gorgeous evening, it's been ages since I had a decent night sky!
Thanks again, Lynn 🤗✨🌙✨

@cbf63 4 months ago

The Houdini EP as big as it is reminds me of the Nagler type 2 eyepieces back in the day...they were big!

@mikesanders3902 4 months ago

Coma will always be less noticeable with high magnification, the real test for coma is on longer focal lengths eyepiece with lower magnification and larger real field of views.

@dannyaquatics 4 months ago

Great info thank you for sharing.

@moedeluca2318 3 months ago

Another excellent video review Tsula! Your enthusiasm is infectious! I've never looked through a Houdini, but I've heard they are spectacular. I own a 9mm Nagler type 1 and it is absolutely amazing... I'd love to buy one or two of the newer Tele Vue's, such as a Delos, Ethos, or Naglers, thing is, they're just so dang expensive! I wish I could find something that was literally as good as the Tele Vue's, but a lot more affordable. Even used, Tele Vue's command such a premium price.

@VA3DSO 4 months ago

Another great video Tsula! Thank you so much - I really enjoyed this comparison.

@billducas 4 months ago

I have both the Nagler 7mm and the Delite 7mm. Both are used as a planetary eyepiece for my 8 inch DOB, but the 7mm Delite, even with only a 62° AFOV, shows a little more contrast. The Nagler is a little warmer, but the 20mm of eye relief of the Delite is so comfortable.

@johndolby2375 4 months ago

I hope I don't get my astronomer card revoked over this comment, but what really caught my eye in this video was the scale you used to weigh your eyepieces! I've been looking for something like that! I may not be shelling out hundreds of clams on an eyepiece anytime soon, but I did put in an order to Amazon for the food scale! Thanks for sharing!

@kevanhubbard9673 4 months ago

That Houdini one looks nice but it is pretty big.

@TravWD21 4 months ago (edited)

I wish I could observe NGC7789 but it only rises to 5.8deg to my northern sky from my location in Brisbane Australia.
As always love your videos.
Dark Skies forever.

@Fernando-vi5kd 4 months ago

Thank you Tsula, you take a video and just today I receive my 7mm and 82 degree eyepiece from the sky rober brand. Looking forward to trying it with my 10" Newton ;D
Cielos DESPEJADOS ;)

@danielr6525 4 months ago

❤😊

@larryrich327 4 months ago

I’m kind of on an explorer scientific kick right now, but I’m sure I’ll eventually brake and get a televue or two, three at most lol thanks for the video very informative.
Blue Skies Forever 🖖