I haven't seen the AE7000 in use, but there is a write up on both being compared by Art at, http://www.projectorreviews.com/projectors/pt-ae7000_vs_Epson_HC5010/index.php
That article might give ya some insight. The Epson is very bright, and that's handy for 3D content. For 2D, running the lamp in ECO mode is still bright, and a very nice picture on my 1.3 gain white screen. Using a more aggressive iris setting will also knock the light output down as well if your interested in better blacks. I don't think you need to worry about the image being to bright, in 2D, with the Epson. My 2 cents
That article might give ya some insight. The Epson is very bright, and that's handy for 3D content. For 2D, running the lamp in ECO mode is still bright, and a very nice picture on my 1.3 gain white screen. Using a more aggressive iris setting will also knock the light output down as well if your interested in better blacks. I don't think you need to worry about the image being to bright, in 2D, with the Epson. My 2 cents