Mirko, I saw this thread when you posted it a few days ago. I've been meaning to contribute to it since then.
Rich, wide field observing has been a new joy to me that I've rediscovered in the last two years. I have three scopes specifically for this purpose, my 11X70 binos, a 4" f/5 achro refractor, and my 8" f/4 dobbie. Each instrument gives me a TFOV of 4.5deg, 5deg, and 3deg, respectively.
I've got scopes that go upto 17.5". But with the larger the aperture and longer the focal length, the 'big picture' is lost. The big picture for me with the surrounding environment to the DSO in question. How many of us are aware of the intricate filigree of dark nebulosity that surrounds Omega Centauri? Or of the lacework of mottled Milky Way and dark nebulae around M7? Or of the beautiful collection of clusters, bright and dark nebulae and background MW glow of the Table of Scorpio? The true massive expanse of Eta Carina can only be really appreciated by dropping aperture and focal length to maximise TFOV.
What is also surprising when using large binos is viewing areas well away from the band of the MW. In using both eyes, the aggregate image brightness is significantly increased. And an amazing amount of detail can be pulled out of area rich in galaxies as the background sky is not devoid of variation in brightness - something totally missed in photos.
For me it is interesting that I've been increasing my aperture size over the years, only to drop aperture and magnification to a bare minimum to maximise true field of view. Today I enjoy both micro and macro viewing,
It's also doubled the sketching possibilities I have from the same lot of sky,
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Mental.