Here are some suggestions to help with focusing:
1. Make sure the tripod legs are fully extended so the camera is not so close to the ground.
2. Focus on a bright star with a Bahtinov mask before you go to your intended target. Make sure it is in the center of the image.
3. Memorise the keys on the camera to zoom into the image to check the focus.
Before you get an Astro CCD, here are some things to achieve first:
1. Practice polar alignment
2.
Make or buy a Bahtinov mask
3. Get an infared remote control for the DSLR (or figure out how to control it from your laptop)
4. Stack the images with
DeepSky Stacker
5. Figure out how to control your mount from a laptop and something like
Stellarium and perhaps EQMOD
6. Get a guidescope working with PHD. You need to be able to guide properly so the stars are nice and round. No point having a nice astro CCD camera if the stars are all egg shaped!
After you master all these things, then you are ready for a dedicated Astro CCD. The QHY8 is a popular model.