Mirrorless, St Nicholas, Dual pixel and the 7D

Again I see that ages have gone by and I've written nothing. Sorry about that.
Here then, is a "round-up" of items from the last month or three.......................

The Fuji XE2, XT1 and XE1.

I wont bore you with which or when, nor why I own(ed), any of these cameras, but I WILL easily sum up my personal perspective on all of them at once.
Nice build, outstanding lenses, brilliant noise control at high sensitivity, great colour, nice feel, small, handy, versatile, characterful. That's these Fuji cameras.
Why then, have I bought 2 more Canon EOS 70D's?
Unfortunately, there is one reason and only one reason for me. The best way I can explain it, is by an example:

I'm amongst a crowd...... In an opening between seas of folks, I see Mr and Mrs Super Famous/interesting/infamous walking through. I have 10 seconds to get focussed, set exposure and shoot one or maybe two frames. Fuji, "erm... ok, don't hassle me man.......  Ooops! missed"
......... Canon: "click"
That's why.

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What has St Nicholas night in Alcester, got to do with Plato?

Nothing really, but whilst shooting St Nicholas Night, (more later), I saw this accidental projection on the church wall. It just reminded me of this, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegory_of_the_Cave

I sent it to "Nick" who I knew would "get it" when he saw it.

Anyway, St Nicholas Night 2014  

 http://www.alcester.roundtable.co.uk/events/2558/alcester-round-table-st-nicks-night-6th-december/  Actually, I think this link is a year out of date..........

Here are a few pics:

So, there it is.

Canon 70D. Why I like this camera.

I owned 2x Canon EOS 7D's until a few weeks ago, and sold both in favour of 70D's, even though the 7D was currently  £100 cheaper. The 7D has reached the end of it's production, which is why it's cheap, btw.  (December 2014).

The 70D is a lighter, less durable body than the 7 series, lacks some weather sealing and has a slightly less complex focussing system than the 7.  It's classed as an "enthusiasts" camera, which means that if I'm working on a job I'm not enthusiastic about, I have to get a different camera. Fortunately, I'm always enthusiastic.

Anyway, first off, I actually bought a Fuji XT1. It's a fantastic camera, but you know how that story ends, (sadly). So, I bought one 70D and tried it out. I have to say that it's turning out to be my favourite Canon yet. The results are more "rounded", the handling easier, (for me, anyway). I cant really explain it without going all techno-boring, so I'll just leave the fact that I just like it, to be my reason for liking it. (Logical huh?).

Shortly after this, I bought another 70D, and the two sit playing cards together when there's no work on.

Ah, yes......... I do still own a Fuji XE2, which is great. Hesitant, but great.

I'm writing this on Friday 19th December, following a spiffing night with old friends. I actually feel like falling asleep........ In fact, I.......zzz....zzzzz....zzzzzzzz........

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The end of the line for the DSLR?

Well no, actually I just like the header.
I must say though, that as I get older, (I'm over 21 now), my two Canon 7Ds, two zoom lenses, 2 flashguns, and assorted batteries, cards, notebooks and dog biscuits are getting heavier. Why this is, I don't know. I think they sneak off to Mac Canon's for fries when I'm not looking. I looked at them today and couldn't help thinking how they were like me, old, fat, and overcomplicated.
So, there was some disturbance in the ether when Shaun from Doverow Studios turned up with a model of a 1970s camera.......  Didn't he? "Seriously, Shaun, what's that?" Ok, it looks fantastic, but it's £1300 with the lens? Hmmmm..... expensive for a mere model, cheap for a workman's pro camera.  Is this a joke?
In the hand, it doesn't feel like a joke. It's metal, substantial and precise. It has dials and buttons everywhere, like a real camera! It has an aperture ring too!
Shaun had with him, the camera body, "standard" prime lens, a semi wide and a wide. He also had a 70-200, (roughly), zoom.  After much fussing and poking at the camera, we went out to test the new beastie against my EOS 7D and a 15-85 which have paid for themselves many times over; surely this upstart would be shamed?
Shaun and I travelled a mile or two and visited Alcester, Weethley and Kinwarton, shooting all the time and wondering how the images would compare back at base. I used the upstart camera a few times and deliberately pushed it to shoot ISO 6400, f2.8 at 1/20th, handheld in a little unlit church as I was told that noise was low, and stabilisation very good:  but was it true?
REVELATION
I have to admit this, though it pains me..... This upstart was far better than my Canon; back at base, the upstart images shone. They exhibited better noise control, better dynamics, better sharpness - better everything really. Originally, I paid about £1900 for the Canon and this one lens, and this lens is slower than Shaun's, plus, stabilisation is not as effective. Overall, the Canon is 3 times the size of the upstart and at least twice the weight for about 2/3 the performance. What’s going on?
All I can say against the upstart is this: It may not be fast enough in it's focusing for high speed sports and sudden action, (maybe some wildlife). Other than that, I'm yet to figure out what to complain about:  and I have tried! Oh, what is it? It's a Fujifilm XT1.
ADDED FOR CLARIFICATION....... I WANT ONE!!!

See some pictures from the Fujifilm XT1