you can also use XLR input with the optional XLR adaptor for the Sony PCM-D50...

Its a nice setup...

Sony adapter is very expensive. I would rather get a Sound Devices MixPre or Shure FP24 on ebay for this. And you get very good limiter on MixPre to prevent clipping on D50, not only the limiter, but also a great headphone amplifier to drive your cans.
Even the size is about the same. Excellent metering as well.
My 2 cents.

You can put the aaton Cantar, Zaxcom Deva/Fusion, and Sound Devices 7xx all in the top tier. Pretty much everything else is below that.

Wayne

Ray, if you need phantom power, then yes, you will definitely need the optional XLR adapter.

But, if you are just going from a SD 302 or 442 to the PCM-D50, all you need are these two items (available from DVInfo Net sponsor, B & H):

Sound Devices | XL7 TA3-F to Mini Female Connector Cable | XL7 (the TA3-F cable) and a short stereo mini to stereo mini male cable:

Hosa Technology | Stereo Mini Angled Male to | CMM-100.8RR | B&H

Plug one end of that last cable into the TA3-F cable connector, the other into the line in on the PCM-D50 (stereo mini plug), set the level on the recorder so that it just starts to clip when the 302 or 442 clips, lock the recorder so nothing can be accidentally changed (best to use the remote to operate the unit), and you are in business.

Agree, but Aaton Cantar is not so "portable", and Deva is also kind of bulky. Their price tags are way above 10K.
There're also some great recorders from Nagra, Sonosax as well.