I already had a 400D as a daytime camera, and so decided earlier in the year that i'd buy a second one for astro work. Picked up that second 400D together with a 18-55 IS zoom for $180 on ebay.
I removed the internal IR filter, and then fitted an Astronomik L EOS-clip filter. It doesn't have liveview, but I have found that with the Backyard EOS (BYE) software I dont really need it, as BYE provides a 'defacto' liveview on the laptop screen.
All up im pretty happy with this older entry level DSLR - a bit of image noise at warmer temps but thats to be expected for a non-cooled camera. A dedicated and cooled CCD would be great, but for a fraction of the price this still provides great performance. (All the shots on my astrobin page were taken with the modded 400D)
ps lots of ebay sellers will ship internationally. plenty of bargains out there
