[brettnjan (Brett)]

Alex - many thanks for the tip on the HEQ5. Not vastly more expensive than the std EQ5, but definitely looks to have more features and upgraded internals coming from the EQ6. Will seriously consider this.
Tony - loved the images you provided, very impressive results. I should add a little more background which may explain the FL choice a bit more. I am the one who is most interested in astrophotography, whereas my wife leans more towards visual astronomy hence looking at longer FL's. I have fast DSLR lenses covering FL up to 280mm so we are looking for something to give a bit more reach but still be suitable for AP and visual. A refactor of around 100mm and ~f7 seems a good fit without compromising too much in either area. Having said that - we welcome other opinions on the subject.