Elan 7e vs. Canon 1n

I'm shooting with my trusty Elan 7e now. No complaints. Pretty much all I shoot with the 35mm is "action" sports and the Elan treats me well. However, as a photo student in college I seem to learn much more about sports photos just from asking other photogs than from anything in school. Anyway, I'm always interested in what others are shooting with and the Canon 1-N seems to be the camera of choice. Why is this? How does the 1-N compare to my Elan 7e (in more than just the tech ways), and should I be thinking of upgrading?
...Or should I be happy with my trusty 7e and save my money for a digital? Hmmmmmm.
Thanks! -Justin

P.S. I'll put some of my photos up by this weekend!

My philosophy is, unless there is a need for it why spend the money. I don't own the 1N, but rather the EOS 3 and it is an awesome camera so I can only imagine what the 1N is like.

But unless the frame rate, construction, etc are an issue why spend $1,500.00 for something that isn't a pressing need. For the money you are going to get better construction, faster frame rates and faster autofocus. Things that all help in sports photography, but do you need them now?

Dennis

First of all, Dennis, 1Ns don't cost anything close to $1500 anymore, I got one on Ebay in good shape for $400 and the E1 booster in mint condition for $150. They can also be bought used for less than $700 from retailers such as KEH and B+H if one doesn't want to use Ebay. As far as Justin's question goes, it all depends on what the 1N can do that the 7E cannot. I had the 7e and sold it and got the 1N I currently have because I wanted a camera that was rugged and well built with a spot meter and capable of shooting 5-6 frames per second. As far as saving money for a digital, well if you want a digital SLR that can shoot more than 3 frames per second for more than 9 shots you're gonna need to save a lot (at least 3 grand unless you find a 1D used which will cost around $2500). So in your case it might make more sense to stick with a film camera for now and wait until you absolutely need a digital SLR. Hope this helps a little with your decision.

-Nate

Nate,
What do you mean when you say the 1n is more rugged? I've been looking around lately and I can grab a 3 on ebay for a good price. But the 1n and the 3 are still plastic bodies. How are they built more rugged and what do you think of metal vs plastic? -Justin

What I mean by more rugged is that the 1N feels like a tank, when you hold one (especially with the booster) it feels unbreakable. The 1N has some plastic, but rest assured it's mostly on the outside covering something a lot harder underneath (not exactly sure what is underneath, some kind of metal probably). I've never held an EOS 3 before so I can't comment on how rugged it feels. I don't know of any cameras that are all metal anymore, plastic has become the material of choice for manufacturing all levels of cameras these days, but rest assured that the pro level cameras are made with better plastic and some metal underneath.