Thanks. Great advice. What would be considered an acceptable shutter count when buying a used camera? People say LOW, but what is LOW? Is it 1000, 10,0000, 20,0000........?
Below 1,000 would be good for any camera and I've gotten a few like that. Someone used it briefly, didn't like it and put it on a shelf. Later he (or his heirs) decided to sell it. However, the cameras you are looking at are more popular. The D700 has a predicted life of 150,000 clicks. The D800 (although you aren't looking at that one) has a predicted life of 200,000 clicks. These are estimates only and a lot depends upon usage. Thus, I personally wouldn't be afraid to get a D700 with under 15,000 clicks or a D800 with under 20,000 clicks. If I wanted an A7, because it is more lightly built I'd try to get one under 10,000 clicks.
I once bought an Olympus E5, their flagship camera. The seller said it was in "mint condition." He didn't list the shutter clicks, but I took a chance and when I checked it later it had 33,000 clicks on it. However the E5 is rated for something like 200,000 clicks, and the camera did look as though it was in mint condition so I don't know how he put that many clicks on it without having it show a lot signs of usage. But as far as that camera goes, the matter is probably moot since I don't use it very often. Probably, however, the E5 has a better build than the cameras you are looking at, although the D700 at more than twice the weight of the A7 probably has a better "build" than the A7 you seem to favor. Yes, the A7 is lighter and would be easier to carry, but that lightness might transfer into a greater fragility as well. The D700 has fewer pixels, but still has a great reputation for producing great photos. Also, when looking at the specs it seems to have a much stronger build than the A7; which in my opinion suggests that it is probably going to have a greater life-span all other things being equal.
Lawrence
