SW Startravel 102mm (f/5) refractor question

[Leedsgreen]

Dear All,

Recently I have been imaging some DSOs with my APO SW Equinox 66 refractor (400mm, f/6) and a LX modded webcam (with my best M42 to date is attached).

Could anyone advise me if a larger aperture refractor would help with capturing more of the faint nebula? What I have in mind is the SW Startravel 102 refractor (500mm, f/5). Whilst I know this is an achromat (as opposed to APO), my sense is that the larger aperture and quicker speed will benefit DSO captures (and because it is fairly small, it will fit on my mount):

http://firstlightoptics.com/proddetail.php?prod=st102ota

Could anyone tell me if there would be a noticeable difference (i.e. money well spent) or would I see little change?

Thanks for any help,

Nick