There are two types of astro-imagers.
There is imager who concentrates on objects that provides detail and structure, and produces a final image designed to maximize the wow factor. This is the most common form of imaging.
Then there is the astro-imager who is challenged by the extreme faintness of objects, where recording an image is much more important than any detail or structure.
This type of imager has a similiar objective with the visual observer struggling to identify faint galaxies in the field. The images are no more than faint smudges.
Here is an example. Until a few years ago the Carina Dwarf Galaxy would have been deemed near impossible to image using amateur equipment.
http://users.westconnect.com.au/~sjastro/carinadwf.html
Regards
Steven