M2CW
If you're primary concern is deep sky CCD astrophotography then an equatorial mount is a must. Yes you can image using fork mounted scopes on wedges but they will struggle for deep work. As a visual mount with occasional imaging with not too heavy demands on them they will work relatively well, especially if you tweak and mod the wedges, or get a premium wedge. But if you want to make the hubble take a back seat you will need an Eq mount (at least
)
I started with an LX200GPS 8" and still wish I had if for purely visual use, but for imaging I found I struggled with it too much initially for imaging. By the time I'd gotten it figured out I'd bought an eq and needed to sell the LX. Never looked back as far as imaging then. Oh and btw I bought the same OTA that I had on the Meade. An 8" sct OTA.
And the replacement mount I bought? a Losmandy GM8 which now sits proudly beside my Losmandy G11. Yes it is an expensive hobby.
People talk about aperture fever. No one mentions mount fever
