I believe the current S50 is in a sweet spot of the matrix in terms of focal length, resolution, price and ease of use. Mosiac mode has provided a wider field of view, but there is no free lunch here as it takes longer to cover the area. And honestly there just aren't that many wide field objects. Planetary imaging is going to require quite a bit more from the optics and tracking which will increase the price significantly. As the price rises, ZWO starts competing with itself with its conventional line of telescopes, cameras and mounts. As of today, there is no "one size fits all" smart scope (or visual telescope for that matter unless you get into monster Newtonians or big refractors both of which = $$$$$$$$).
I have an Orion 150mm Maksutov that has given me some jaw dropping views of Saturn, Jupiter, Mars and the Moon a few times. The rest of the time, it puts up good views and views showing just how turbulent the atmosphere is even after an hour of cool down time. I did consider getting a camera, but when I rationally thought about the cost, including a laptop I don't have, I came to the conclusion: how many pictures of Jupiter and Saturn am I going to take? The "ease of use" plummets off a cliff. Carrying the Mak is like carrying a two year old that doesn't want to be carried. The GoTo hand controller/mount it came with is crude and unintuitive. If I was at a different point in my life, I would replace the mount with a new easy to use AM3/5 type mounts and ASI type controllers/cameras. But again, this stuff gets pricey.
In the matrix I mentioned earlier, you can make the choice of what is most important to what you would like to do. There are no wrong answers.
I bought my S50 last December and I love it.
Having said all this I am sure they will come out with a new one the day after you get yours!
Good luck and welcome!
Tom
