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Mick,
My vote is: 4" Apo refractor = best results with smallest amount of frustration/learning curve. Get a good one and you will keep it forever. You can find Televue genesis popping up every so often for $1300 or so. Excellent optics, flat field and f/5. 2nd Hand Takahashi FS102 is a fine instrumnet and what I use more than any of my scopes for imaging. If cost is an issue then get an ED80. Cant go wrong with one of these when learning the ropes.... As Tony says the camera you will use is an integaral part of the OTA decision. Read my article is S&S/ It explains the relationship between camera and OTA
Once you are getting decent results with a 4" refractor at an image scale of 2 - 3 arcsec per pixel then buy yourself a C925 and focal reducer and work your way up. there is so much to learn about digital imaging before you should consider higher res imaging at 1.5 arc sec per pixel or less. Im talking DSO here not planetary. Any bigger and you start to put yourself into requiring a bigger mount than the G-11. ie Titan and above which equals BIG dollars....
Or wait till the RCX400 is released in OTA form and buy the 10". Supposed to be just around the corner and buy that OTA when you have outgrown your APO which you never will as you can use it as a guidescope....
Best regards
Chris V
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