Hi Brett,
Welcome to IIS.
you'll get a number of various suggestions, but I'd suggest the following.
For widefields, look at the Vixen Polarie. Many use it here, I'm not sure till what focal length it can be used.
http://www.vixenoptics.com/mounts/polarie.html
I'd suggest against getting long focal length scopes for imaging when you're starting. guiding can be a big challenge and most long FL's use OAG's for guiding.
Look at semi APO's like the 80ED. They're excellent value for money and can be used with an OAG or a guidescope.
Else an 8inch F5 reflector is a good start although it'll need a robust mount to carry the weight. that's where the 80ED has its advantages as its small and light.
with reflectors, you'll also need your collimation to be close enough, a cheshire is great for this. don't depend on just the laser.
I'd advise against an F4 if you're starting as the tolerances are a lot narrower.
For mounts, depends on your budget and payload.
the HEQ5Pro is an excellent start especially for the 80ED or even an 8inch F5. But an 8inch would be on the edge of its capacity.
Next up with the NEQ6pro, reliable and affordable. but quite heavy.
keep the Focal ratio in mind. anything higher than an F5 or F6 will extend your integration time, especially RC's at F9. many use a reducer with it. but they're good for close up of galaxies.
for camera's, a dslr is a good start. doesn't need to be modded when you're starting. I'm referring to removal of the factory IR filter that blocks a significant part of the Ha and red.
you do have to be aware of noise though. anything over 7 minutes and 800 iso will tend to be noisy.
A cooled CCD is the way to go but can be expensive. but they give the best dynamic range with 16bit images and cooling.
There are the mono and OSC CCD's. OSC's are fine for most purposes, if you need fine detail, then mono is the way to go, but it can quickly add up with filters and filter wheel. you'll also have to have 4 sets of exposures for one image with L,R,G,B.
whatever scope you get, make sure the focuser is decent. makes a difference.
for guiding, I've now switched to an off axis guider from teleskop express and the guiding is amazing. but it can be a challenge to match the spacing and distance to ccd for both cameras.
many use the finder guider package, but it won't be that effective with long FL's. it needs to be atleast 1/3rd FL of your main scope and software will take care of the rest.
differential flexure is the biggest issue here, hence the OAG.
guide cameras, lodestar is by far the most popular and sensitive affordable option, but there are other alternatives like the qhy5 or orion ssag. but they're not usually suitable for OAG's.
I went with the QHY5L-2 which works well.
light pollution filters are a big plus. I use the Astronomik UHC-S and its brilliant. major difference.
will add more if i can think of anything else.
Cheers
