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At $1000 I'd forget about imaging. You might get something usable but it will probably be a most basic setup, maybe an EQ mount for a camera. A photography worthy EQ mount that can support a decent scope (even a small one) will probably cost more than $1000. Dobs on the other hand; Well there you can get something rather impressive.
Doug, in your position, this is what I would buy with $1000:
Deluxe 10" Dob $699
7x50WP binos $119
upgrade all 4 eyepieces to at least GS Ploessls (insist on this! Do not accept the default Series 500 EPs.) $60 (approx)
Delivery $60 (approx)
and if budget allows (this is going just a bit over $1000):
- Orion Shorty Plus apo barlow from Sirius Optics $135 (probably best price in Oz and the dealer is local for you) and maybe
- upgrade the eyepieces to Synta Super Ploessls (I don't know how good they are, but they are rumoured to be better than the GS Ploessls).
In my opinion, the wide field binos are a must have accessory for star hopping and locating interesting targets. The 15x70s you already have are no good for this because you can't hand hold and scan the sky with them (unless you're a giant of course). I had the AOE 7x50s (till I lost them recently) and found them to be very good in terms of contrast and light transmission. The Andrews 7x50WPs are supposed to be very similar (according to AOE).
With the Andrews Dob, I would insist on no colour filters, even if its only a few bucks off. They are most likely useless.
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