G'day Shane,
I won't offer any advice re: which scope to buy, there are others with more experience who have (and will) share that advice to you.
Instead, I want to share this 20 minute video, of some deep space photography without the aid of a telescope or tracking gear or anything like that. It's just a dude, his camera and a tripod.
Depending on what you're interest actually is with your impressive DSLR, you may find that with a decent tripod, lens and (lots of) patience you might be able to take the photos you're interested in.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0JSTF8SGi4