Hi Murphy,
Is the EQ5 a goto one?
If not, the 8" Newt is on the right track, but the EQ5 is not ideal for visual obs. it'll end up in very weird positions. But it is a start nevertheless.
frustrating bit will be trying to point it somewhere but rotating ra and dec axes.
Best viewing eyepieces are 15 to 26mm. any shorter than that, it'll be difficult to hone in on targets as the fov will be very small. Plus they won't stay in the FOV for more than a few seconds in a non-tracking mount.
if you're handy at wood work, you could make yourself a simple Dob mount for the same newt. should cost less than $50 all up and is a lot more convenient for viewing. Something like Alex's mount here.
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...ad.php?t=56400
I made a similar mount with spare wood I had lying around.
astrophotography is a whole different ball game. But even before that, make the best of what you have to learn the skies and do some afocal photography of the planets.
you'll need the barlow for planets, but get the apo ones, not the achro, as they tend to be fuzzy.
Else get the 6 or 9mm TMB widefield planetary eyepieces that come up often in the classifieds.
good luck.
