[groby_b]

That's not entirely true. Bright DS objects you'll see just fine if you step away the tiniest bit from super-bright lights, you don't need a "dark site".

My place is right next to a brightly lit pool (which I hate with a passion ;), and M42 is visible just fine. Even with the naked eye. Same goes for photography - I've got a few pictures of M42 that are pretty darn cool, with a single exposure and a Canon DSLR. I've collected excellent single-exposure shots of Jupiter & Saturn during the conjunction.

No, it's not as spectacular as the stuff you see when you look at images you find online, but it's still a "holy shit" moment the first time you manage to.

You should just be aware that you'll quickly learn the limitations, and getting a taste for DSOs/star photography means you'll likely develop a desire to do more. ("I wish I could see X"/"I wish I could take better pictures") And that starts getting expensive. (But that's true for any hobby that requires you to buy things, there are always more toys ;)

[jjav]

Yes, M42 (Orion Nebula) is spectacular and doesn't take much equipment or dark site. I have a large framed photo of M42 on the wall here which I took with just my DSLR from my driveway near streetlights.