Hi Wade,
You are experiencing what a lot of people discover when they start out. Big beautiful glossy photos are not what is visible through most amateur scopes. The moon is a exception in that you can see a world of detail without trying hard.
As for the other planets, you have to learn to pick out subtle details and adjust your equpment where possible.
1/ Seeing conditions stuff up a lot of planetary detail because it gets lost in the "boiling"
2/ Filters help by enhancing detail in things like cloud belts, polar caps and the like.
3/ A very accurately aligned optics are important to eliminate optical errors.
4/ Increased magniication or the use of a barlow sometimes helps but both often magnify all the errors listed above and generally wash out the image.
5/ Some targets are just damn hard. Mars is a good example. Its small to start with and only relatively close to us for short periods, now being one of them. Its a challenge in most scopes, very hard in anything short of a large scope.
Jupiter and Saturn are the most rewarding though Saturns rings are just past edge on to us at the moment and not "spectacular". That will change over the next few years.
With your scope, you should be able to pick out more on Jupiter including several cloud belts, the red spot and the four main moons, easily. The shadows from transits are more challeging, but do-able. Both planets will still look relatively smal in your scope.
My first large scope was a 12 inch F4. Newtonian and that gave really good views of these two plaets. If you can afford it, I'd sure as hell up grade but do some research first.
A 12 inch scope will collect 4 times as much light as your 8 inch, reveals much, much more detail, but is also heavier and only marginally transportable unless you get a collapsable scope.
If you want an excuse, to go for a 12, I am happy to provide it:
- I am sure you would not be disappointed with the performance.
- There are 12 inch scope regularly offered on the forums for what I would consider a song!!
- Cheaper than drugs, fast cars, and women of all types...
- Allows you to gain perspective of you place in the universe
Rom