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Hi Nicole,
Despite what others have said I think you're better to end up with a separate visual scope and a separate imaging scope. An 8"/F5 equatorially mounted newt is a "fair" scope for visual and a "reasonable" scope for imaging. Further if you have two separate scopes you can be doing some visual observations beside your imaging scope while it clicks happily away. If you only have one scope you get bored pretty quickly IMO. The reasons I don't think an 8" equatorially mounted newt is what you need for visual are pretty simple:-
1) It can be a handfull for a female to get up on the mount and set.
2) Even with rotating rings, the eyepiece can get into some very awkward positions and make it quite difficult to use comfortably.
I think you would get more enjoyment getting an 8" or 10" collapsable tube dob for visual use and an 80mm equatorially mounted refractor as an imaging scope down the track. You would then more than likely find neither scope redundant for several years.
Cheers,
John B
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