[thegableguy (Chris)]

Hi folks,

Really just posting this here as I need to have a few posts in order to contact sellers in the classifieds, but can't hurt to have some extra feedback too...! So here's where I'm at.

Bought an 8" Dob back in July or so. LOVE IT. Immediately addicted. I quickly bought a Nikon T-Ring and 2x Barlow adapter and have shot the Moon, the Sun, Jupiter, Saturn, various conjunctions (Moon/Jupiter, Jupiter/Venus), and even got a surprisingly clear shot of the ISS.

Now I'm keen to move on to DSOs. Obviously not going to happen with a manual Dob.

I've basically settled on my next purchase being a goto mount - HEQ5 or heavier as I want to have something somewhat future proof. For now I'll just stick a DSLR + 200mm lens on it, but eventually I'd like to get a decent APO or maybe an 8" or 10" RC.

I've been assured that a DSLR on a HEQ5 will keep me happily occupied for many months. More than that, I'm hoping that I'll get a $1k hobby expenditure past the wife without copping too much flak...

Any suggestions would be welcome, particularly towards what difficulties I can expect once I actually have a mount in my possession and can get started.

Thanks all
~C