Bart,
I am sure you will enjoy the views through the eyepiece with the C14!
Its light gathering ability is just phenomenal!
Something you could do is maybe get the regular C14 but buy yourself a long focal length very wide angle eyepiece! This will tremendously improve your enjoyment of Deep Sky Objects!
Of course, if you have the budget for it you can go the HD way and also get the eyepiece! Just be careful these get very pricey!
When you start to get into AP, look for focal reducers! Hopefully these will be released soon. It will bring the F/D of your C14 to 6.3 resulting in a 2200mm focal length. Still big, but easier to manage than a 3500mm and more objects will fit in!
I reckon that when you start AP, start with Planetary! The C14 is a killer on these targets!!! There is A LOT to do, and it is much easier to set up than a Deep Sky rig. You will learn the ropes of cooling, collimation, acquisition, focus, processing, use of softwares, and importantly: it will be very rewarding! You will be able to get good planetary images pretty quickly, which will keep your interest and motivation at its top!
A nice thing is that getting started in planetary is not very pricey! You can use a webcam (cheapest option - pretty good results!) or a dedicated camera such as the DMK21. A cam like the DMK will also be useful in the future as it is able to autoguide your mount for long exposure deep sky imaging.
The C14 is a challenging instrument to master. It however is very doable with time and patience
. The key is to not lose motivation in the beginning, as it can get pretty frustrating. This, in my opinion, is where many give up using such big setups. If you keep your spirit up, keep taking your scope out and using it, the C14 will provide you with a lifetime of possibilities!
I think you are going down the right path starting with visual. My suggestion is to start AP with planetary, and then move on to DSO when you know a bit more how this whole thing works.
Also, while you'll be in the visual stage, keep your eyes open for that focal reducer! It can also be used in visual! A C14 at F/6.3 will have a much wider field of view for you to enjoy with your long focal length, wide field eyepieces!
I wish you all the best Bart, and if you can, please keep us updated with your progress! Also post some pics of your scope when you get it! It's always cool!
Sylvain
