Hi Scott,
I second what Malcolm and Ken suggested; an 80mm scope would be ideal to get into astrophotography. I believe Stellarvue makes good telescopes, and perhaps SV80ST-IS would be a good choice because it has a Feather Touch focuser, it is fast - f/4.8 triplet and has short focal length of 384 mm when used with a dedicated reducer.
As for the mount, perhaps something similar to AZEQ5/6 or, if funds permit, then why not get a quality one such as MYT or Mach1.
Please keep us posted
