[dylan604]

One thing I'd also suggest is rent, rent, rent. You can rent so many different camera bodies and lenses, that you'd be silly to not try out different things before buying. You can even rent modified camera bodies that have the IR filters removed specifically for astro stuff.

Before buying a telescope, attend star parties. People will bring out their gear and welcome you to chat and view through their gear. You'll start to see the differences in telescope types and their pros/cons. Astronomy was built on the shoulders of giants, so you can take advantage of that as well.

+1000 for cloudynights website