Best Quality Pics for the money

SharpStar 61EDPH/Askar 300 or 400 or similar, a mount much bigger than you think (EQ6R Pro and bigger) and then decide if you want to start with OSC for simplicity or just dive into mono imaging and save money over the long run. Play with that then decide on the fancy optic. Unless you are buying a full frame camera like the QHY600 or ASI 6200 you will find many scopes that are very, very good for a lot less and when you have some experience you will know more if you want fast, wide or deep which will dictate what you buy next.

Yes I’m with @Joe Linington & @Jay Hovnanian start slow and keep it as simple as possible. Once you get some experience under your belt grow from there but don’t be in a hurry. Thats when you will make mistakes and mistakes can be costly!

I agree with getting a larger mount that will give you room to grow with and start with a nice refractor and learn the setup and processing and adjust and grow from there.

AP is a wonderful hobby but there will be frustrations that will come with it but we all here on AB are here and we help each other thru the frustrations 😊

Dale

Takahashis are nice, but a new FSQ106EDX4 will take almost all of your highest budget.  I use a  older version FSQ106ED and it is a greate scope, but I bought used AND didn't start out there. 

The FSQ is also heavy for a 4" scope and will demand a better mount. To put that scope on a cheaper mount is a waste of money.

I would agree with the above and start with a 60 to 80mm asian refractor.  Also, put most of you budget into the mount.

Lynn K.

In 1997 I bought a 10" Meade LX-200 which I thought was a very beautiful piece of equipment.
I was in my early 40's then and could man handle it to the yard and get it setup on the mount but it was still a job,
As time went by I used it less and less.
For 15 years it mainly just sat in the corner of our bedroom covered with a dust bag, and I got to thinking for about the same amount of money as I had in the scope I could build a small OBS and get much more use of it.
Well I decided on a 10'x10' ROR which I built and installed the scope only for visual use (I knew zero about AP).
Next I got a super wedge for the LX-200 mount and a T adapter for a Canon camera, took my first picture of M42 and like a super drug, I was hooked.
Any free time I had I was always thinking about AP, I had no idea how to stretch an image to see what I had captured, thank goodness people now have YT to learn some simple processing from.
I next got an Avalon M-Uno mount which worked very well and currently have my last mount which is a 10 Micron GM2000.
The SCT (LX-200) was the very worst scope to start AP with, I got a Meade 6000 70mm refractor which has a focal length of 350mm and that would be a good scope to start learning with.
If you really think you will stick with the hobby then buy the very best mount you can afford and upgrade scopes as you learn.
It will take you years to get good at it, you will likely go weeks at a time unable to use your equipment due to weather, the Moon and other reasons, be very patient. 
We all see the beautiful scopes, cameras and pictures in the ads, but a seasoned imager knows that a good mount it the real secret.
When you have to fight the mount you wind up with nothing for a long nights work.
Sorry for the rant, I wish we lived near each other so I could offer help first hand.
Refractors just work out of the box, you don't have to mess with aligning optics that you know very little about, I lost a whole summer fighting a beautiful RC8 that I could not get round stars with, bought a Williams Optics scope and have never had to touch it as far as alignment goes.
If you keep going it the hobby you will see new people complaining about the weather all the time, you have to just accept that there will only a few days each month that are good enough to be able to use your gear (unless you live in a really good location). 
Starting out, keep it simple. Good mount, short FL refractor, DSLR or OSC astro camera and small enough to setup and take down depending on your location.
I would suggest studying the ZWO AM-5 mount and ASIAir Plus equipment. I have the ASIAir Plus as part of my portable rig.
Good luck,
Tim

I have been helping a friend get started this past year.  There is some equipment that will always be kept because it is so versatile.  I would start there and not be overwhelmed with complexity.  My friend had a Nikon DSLR and some good lenses.  I suggested he start with a camera tracking mount.  He had immediate success with little frustration.  On the plus side he has equipment that will be useful for years to come.

A year in, he has a WO Redcat, and an AT 115 for imaging.  He also purchased a GM811, and ASI APS-C OSC color camera.  He is using NINA, Sharpcap, and Pixinsight.  It hasn't been a perfectly smooth journey, I think he has added too much complexity too fast.  That said, he is getting some excellent images.