Astronomy as a hobby is like all hobbies, an artifice along with many others that we humans use create an illusion of meaning in an existence which is otherwise preposterous, fleeting and utterly pointless.
That we can do this is a cause for celebration not sadness, what an incredible species we are!
All aspects of the hobby are equally valid whether it be interest in equipment or technology, astrophotography, visual viewing, having the biggest telescope, etc etc. Even contributing to astronomy science. Because science is ultimately about us, not the Universe. The Universe will continue to function independently of our understanding of it regardless of however 'important' we consider our understanding to be.
But astronomy does offer an added dimension compared to say train spotting or bird watching or model aeroplane building or computer gaming. Because with our telescopes and cameras we can look out into the void and actually confront our insignificance! Ideally this should give us a better perspective on our lives, our troubles, our prejudices, how seriously we take things - but humans being humans maybe that might be asking a bit much!
Anyway, all it takes is a little bit of knowledge and a lot of imagination. Any scope will do!
So to the OP I'd say do whatever you want to do (other than troll IIS
) but you'll be missing a lot if you think astronomy as a hobby is ticking off the things you've seen or taking a photograph. There are some truly wondrous (and scarey) things out there and the excitement of seeing them and learning about them should never wane!
Cheers -