Thanks so much for your info/advice. At least now I know I am not the only one. . .
I ended up buying an official Nikon adapter and old digital camera off eBay which actually cost less than the Celestron adapter. Much more efficient and precise but bulky to carry.
Yes that is what I wanted to avoid (the bulk) - especially since the ED50 is SO tiny (and brilliant in every which way). And I go on very demanding hikes in among wildlife where weight is the most NB item to avoid.
But if I have to I have to - any recommendation for a reasonable spec Nikon camera that will serve this purpose? Preferably small and cheap?
Biggest issue I have is the absence of a 'tilt' adjustment, ...
Yes EXACTLY.
I ended up simply wrenching it into alignment because I found the grip around the eyepiece is not tight fitting. It would presumably fit better on a smaller or different eye piece but mine is such shape and size that the clasp only partially grips permitting a forward hinge to get the angle right. I also find that the phone gets in its own way unless it is slightly elevated in its holster (ie I have to slide it a bit upwards to find a spot where it does not hinge into itself). That means that all these tolerances have to be fine tuned EVERY TIME you take a picture and NO chance of a quick peep without the phone and then slotting it into place to take a pic. Maybe practice will improve my technique but currently it is a bit like trying to fly a helicopter - just too many axis of control.
I had in mind using it from within a motor vehicle supported with a window cushion or on a hike supported with nothing much.
Both ideas are currently fading. As you may guess - wildlife photography is often (VERY OFTEN) a quick on the draw affair. Birds and bees dont exactly arrive for a photo shoot with actress-like posing talent.
What irritates me is that Nikon ADVERTISED the lens as designed for digiscoping. But I emailed them repeatedly to advise the best fit adapter without any response so far!!
Only the excellence of the scope saves them from utter damnation
For anybody who cares - the ED 50 with the WDS x27 lens gives the brightest clearest most wide angle most pin-sharp view you could ever imagine. And the ridiculous small size of the scope means that you soon learn to handle it like binoculars (monocular?). It takes you one optical step into the distance just beyond where your binoculars suffer from lack of power. You do NOT need a zoom (you do not WANT a zoom - mushy image dark and narrow field of view).
You do NOT need more power (you do not WANT more power - here in Africa typically the heat waves distort the view to such an extent that any magnification beyond x30 is practically useless.)
Not to say that a 70 or 80 aperture does not have its place but for everyday purposes those sizes will serve no purpose for me.
So a small scope with a phone . . . ah well.
