Digital photography

What are peoples thoughts on buying a second hand slr? I'm a little wary but the savings are good and mean I could pretty much step up a level in camera.

Specifically thinking about a D700 or possibly a 5D mark ii, thought the 5D means switching to Canon and losing compatibility with my film stuff

I've bought a Nikon D300 and D700 on eBay, and loads of lenses over the years. D300 was boxed and like new with under 10k actuations, bundled with MB-D10 grip and 28-105mm lens, and I got the lot for a good deal less than the body price was at the time. D700 was well-used by a pro tog with around 60k shots through it but performs flawlessly to this day; I got it boxed for around £950. So yeah, I'd have no qualms about buying second hand, so long as you trust the seller.

Judging the camera's newness by actuations is a gamble as I'm pretty sure a firmware update resets it. Was certainly the case when I updated my D300 a few years back...