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Peter, like Ivan says, your dob as it is is all that's needed. The key is patience.
A mask does two things: it can help when seeing conditions are not optimal, and it will show you what it means to have a smaller aperture in terms of loss of resolution - there's no free lunch anywhere here... but it can help tone down the image if you are still struggling. Get a smaller scope and you lose resolution power too
A filter, colour, polarizing, neutral density, whatever, if it is of good quality won't wipe out detail. If this happens then thete are other issues at play. Colour filters can help bring out some specific planetary details, but not everything at once, and they are a niche item. The one I most use is 80A Blue, a good all-rounder. It helps on Jupiter with showing cloud bands, making the GRS easier to see, and bring out the white ovals, with Saturn to show up a little more cloud bands and ring details, and with Mars to show high clouds mostly along the limb. Other filters help wiuth the same or other details. But even with filters, PATIENCE is the key. Everything about astro needs patience. Expect instant gratification and you will miss out on most of what astro has to offer.
Other scopes, like a C11 or C9.5 is fine but they do require a tracking mount, whether it's for photo or visual. I would suggest to try to get the most out of your dob first because you will learn more this way than rely on a smaller aperture, along with the mount, to only show no more than you can with your dob. For photo, you will be surprised what a good 8" Cassegrain can pull for detail!
You can actually do planetary photography with you dob too, in case you didn't know. A video file is caputured, and then processed using the same stacking and processing software as everyone here uses, and punch out some stunning pics. The software lines up the moving image automatically so there's no issue there.
AND it is possible to get/make an equatorial platform for your dob too. These give you anywhere between 60 to 80 minutes of tracking time. Then your photo capability also expands, and all with the one and the same scope.
See, any options all without getting a new & smaller scope.
But in the end it is all up to you.
Ah, one last thing, if you haven't as yet, look at going to a local astro club meet. There you will find people who will show you how to collimate your scope until it squeals, lend you an eyepiece or too, and let you see through their scopes as to what they, and your, scopes are fully capable of. This way you can make thevery best informed and experienced decision that best suits YOU.
Alex.
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