Wow, longest thread in history! I own an Orion Edge-On Planetary 6mm EP, and yes, your 12.5mm version will certainly be an upgrade from the 25mm that you got with the scope! Of course, the 25mm as has been stated already, is useful for different types of viewing than a more powerful EP. I was actually tossing up between that very same scope and a Dob...I chose the Dob mostly due to price, but yeah, wait til' you use your new EP... I think you'll be very impressed! And a barlow would really be a great idea too. Waaaaayyyyyy back at the beginning you mentioned you wanted a scope good for photography? A Dobsonian isn't really made for this purpose, although, I do understand you can do it with a bit of elbow grease, so to speak! Mate, I absolutely LOVED looking at the sky with no scope at all, and then when I started, I bought a Celestron Firstscope...a tiny little "dob" that barely showed a stripe on Jupiter (and that on a good night!)! But if you love looking at the heavens and give it time, it will become even more rewarding! (I'll never forget finding Uranus for the first time...I was on a high for days after!) I'm sure the right scope will turn up! Incidentally (and ironically) a few of us are squizzing on Friday night through my 8" dob and my mate's SCT...uh oh....