I have two means to take photos - one is with my Canon XTi SLR camera, and the other is with the Meade Color Deep Sky Imager II. Both have advantages & disadvantages:
Canon XTi:
+High Resolution (10Mp)
+Can take "wide field" images (great for taking photos of larger objects)
+Price/resolution ratio is well worth it
-Can't hook up to a computer for real-time preview
-Have to hold down the shutter button for 30+ second exposures
-Needs optional adapter & T-Mount to attach to telescope
-Post processing will be a BIG pain without some kind of astrophotography software
Meade Color Deep Sky Imager II
+Attaches directly to any telescope (and when I say "any", I mean any over $100+)
+Has output to a PC for real-time preview, capture control, focus and star tracking
+Easy post-processing (and believe me, you will have to post-process your images!)
+Can use optional nebula and skyglow filters
+Has ability to take very long exposures
-Low resolution for the price (<1Mp)
-Expensive ($600+)
-Post-processing software can be confusing without tutorials
-Optional nebula & skyglow filters are expensive
-Not as "wide field" as the Canon XTi
To learn more about the Meade Deep Sky Imager II, check out my blog post here:
http://neighborsbeyond.blogspot.com/2008/09/one-way-to-image-deep-space-objects-dso.htmlAnd further info about my Canon XTi w/mounts is here:
http://neighborsbeyond.blogspot.com/2008/08/barlows-slr-and-secret-package.html
