Good advice, your 7D will do the trick for a while and if you get bitten by the bug.
well you can go from there!
you will need a corrector with nearly any scope you attach the 7D to as it is a full frame i believe. Don't let this scare you though. If it was me i would look at a decent quality ED 80 mm refractor if you have a little bit of movement in your 1500 then you will get the results if not you will rob Peter to pay Paul so to speak.
Also look second hand, IIS has a good classified section, there is also a few other ones floating around aust. Sometimes you can snag a absolute bargain because somebody gets frustrated with lack of knowledge and skill.
Getting any of the Dobsonians/newts needs extra pieces, and with the full frame you will run into problems regarding illumination of such a large sensor that is why i suggested a refractor as it has a larger imaging circle!
The other thing do you already own a laptop? with modern technology you kind of require a laptop, the programs can control every aspect of your system from guiding to imaging right though to planetarium and mount control.
Be aware also you will require guiding unless you go and spend 5-8k minimum on a high quality mount.! Guide scope kits can be purchased for a good price, though you will need to get a guide camera.
Basic setup in approximate terms
EQ5/EQ6 ~ 1-1600 respectively
ED 80 mm ~ 4-1000 quality dependant
Guiding - 3-500 but you can get crafty if your skilled with tools!
A canon T ring ~ 30
for allowing a nose piece/corrector to be attached to where the lense would normally go.
Corrector for your setup ~ 150-500 depending on quality and type its dependent on scope.
To be honest you can get away with a cheap setup, but it will be difficult and frustrating at times to get quality images out. that being said, you have to figure out if you just want to take a quick happy snap, or if you really want a good image.
The setup that took this cost me approximately 5k with all the gadgets gizmos and things, but be aware i did all the machine work myself and built all sorts of things to make it sing...
1st two links, the kit last link latest image. With 2 years of experience.
http://brendanmitchell.net/?page_id=...over=0&occur=1
http://brendanmitchell.net/?page_id=36
http://brendanmitchell.net/wp-conten...0_25_25_30.jpg
