Dave... I spent the weekend in the same boat.. even threw in a bid or two on eBay for a clean 1Ds II but didn't win.. still on the fence about it.. did more reading on the 1Ds II vs the 5D classic vs the 5D II than I care to say.. in the end, I remain camera less.. I love the fact the 1Ds II is built like a tank.. Seldom use live view on my old 40D, could care less about the small screen.. cant see without my glasses anyway.. Video would be nice, but not a deal breaker.. IQ and getting 3-5 years out of it would be my goal.. My reservation was solely the age of the 1Ds II and if repairs were going to sour my purchase... need to give it some more thought.. but yep, seeing clean ones (cosmetically that is.. shutter count is still dependent on what seller reports) in the ball park of 1400 as well..