Well it is not released yet but I was thinking about getting a modded DSLR after a couple of years of fun with my 20d.
The specs on the 450 sound very appealing - all the benefits of the 40d without the cost and at lower weight too...I can wait for this so then I got to thinking about the scope.
With my current setup I am already oversampled - native this gives me 0.73" per pixel, with the FR 1.16"/pixel. My main interest is imaging DSOs and I am N of Sydney - my seeing is 2-3" at best.
So what would be a good match to a 450d - 12Mp sensor both in terms of FL, resolution, flatness and $$.
I also want to replace my modded 300D with modded 450D, may be even cooled one from centralds.
They're already offering a cooled 40D for sale so I guess when 450D is released it will be also available in cooled version :-)
Just need to start saving for this as my wife isn't happy with all these astro upgrades :-)
Hmm, is a bit more than a dream I suppose - there are some funds on the way in April...so with a 12Mp sensor what would you mate this up to for best effect and keeping the budget balanced between scope and camera and all to ride on my Vixen Sphinx mount...
My WO Megrez 90 would give you 2.03 arc seconds per pixel with that camera and a 0.85 reducer, or 2.16" with a 0.8. That would seem for the most part to match your seeing, however remember that according to Nyquist's theorum the optimal sampling for resolution is to sample at half your resolvable detail level. Therefore, if you are after resolving detail in small DSOs and not extended objects, you'd be better off at the resolution you get from your VC200L with reducer. It would give 0.93"/pixel on the 450D, with a roughly 1.1x0.75 degree FOV.
As you already get 1150mm with the VC200L/reducer combo, you might consider getting a 600-800mm scope to supplement that for larger field views. In that range we have scopes like the Megrez 90 or any of a number of other refractors, or significantly faster Newtonian designs like the Vixen R200SS supplemented with a coma corrector (1.34"/pixel).
Both of those options should be well within the capacity limits of the Sphinx.