Disclaimer, I haven't done this. Yet. But a lot of folks recommend upgrading to the MCII eyepiece for the ED50 which moves the zoom to 13-40. If this is your plan, you're out $700 or so for the scope, + $250 or so for the upgraded eyepiece and you're left with the stock eyepiece that'll probably gather dust.
Enter Japanese Amazon. If you shop at amazon.co.jp, you can get the ED50 without an eyepiece for $283 shipped. Best I can tell, Nikon doesn't sell the scope without an eyepiece in the states. Amazon claims 3-6 day shipping from Japan. Add the MCII (you can use American Amazon for this) and you're into the ED50 with upgraded eyepiece for under $550. Even cheaper if you go with one of the fixed mag eyepieces. The consensus on the birding forums is that everyone loves the 27x fixed that offers better eye relief and FOV than the zooms at the same mag. That might be the direction I go. Either way, you have the flexibility to choose the eye piece you want to go with, and you save money.
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