Digital Projector

Where to start?  My last projector was a used Kodak Carousel!

I'm a hobbyist; I don't do workshops, seminars, anything like that; this would be primarily to show shots to friends and family - likely on a wall as often as not.  I see units priced from $46 to $168,000!  No definite price point, but certainly closer to the former than the latter  .  I need something that will be easy to use and relatively bright and sharp.  Don't care about audio - I don't foresee programming in a slide show with music or anything like that.

Any specifics I should look for?
Any brands or specs I should be especially wary of?
Any specific recommendations?

I see a couple of "highly rated" "best seller" units  for ~$300, but I trust your thoughts a lot more than unknown reviewers on B&H.

Thanks in advance.

Don't know much about projectors, but, can you just show your pics on TV or some kind of digital display??

OK, back to the original programming.

DChan wrote:Don't know much about projectors, but, can you just show your pics on TV or some kind of digital display??

1.) I'm a real Luddite - I wouldn't have a clue.
2.) Wife said "projector" - happy wife. . . 


Thanks.

Like Craig said, if you have a large screen TV, it is generally easier to use that with a simple HDMI cable from your computer to the TV.

That sounds like something even I could manage.

I would agree with the others as a large screen TV will produce a much better image than most low priced projectors. Most projectors show the images in high contrast, high saturation and too bright as they are designed to show graphics/slides made in programs like Power Point and not photo images. Yes you can adjust/control some of these things but the resulting image still tends to suffer. Photographic images require good shadow detail and the ability to show subtle colors - NOT easily obtained on low end projectors. Our photo club shows images on a Canon SX800 projector that is about 6 years old. At the time of purchase this was a mid price $1800 investment. Newer projectors are most probably able to show a better image but I've yet to see a reasonably priced projector that can match the image quality of most large screen TV's.

I often use the TV for showing photos. Firstly it is full HD (a 4K TV would be nice ), so I can show images at a reasonable res. I do not need a projection screen. I can copy images to a stick and plug it straight into the Blu Ray player and control the slides with the remote (most TV's these days have USB and SD card slots too).

So, convince the wife you need a 60" 4K TV, every one's a winner

Hi Craig, 

You have many options regarding a digital projector. My advice is to google "projector buying guides" to learn about the different features. Before you buy, download the full manual for the projector and read it carefully as it will tell you things that are usually not mentioned in the sales material. 

I bought one in January 2017 to show my images: EPSON EX7240 PRO BUSINESS PROJ. I paid about $575 pre tax for it. It is a WXGA projector and projects images at 1280 x 800 pixels. I wanted one that was wider than the traditional XGA at 1024 x 768 pixels. It has 3200 lumens of color brightness. That lumens level might be too much for you. You can get a projector with a lower lumens level that might meet your needs. 

I wanted one with an economy bulb setting so I could set it to reduce the brightness of the projector if needed. One of the major problems with most digital projectors is that the projected images are way to bright and you need an effective way to adjust brightness.  Please note that the brightness setting does not always allow for adjustments to reduce the power of the bulb. That is why I wanted an economy bulb setting. It comes with a comprehensive settings menu that allows you to access it and set changes thru a remote that comes with the projector. 

The surface is very important if you want your images to look sharp and with accurate colors. If you are not going to use a dedicated screen, then you might want to choose a projector that comes with various "presets" for different wall/projection surfaces. Most InFocus projectors have this feature. 

You need to make sure that the projector can be easily attached to your laptop. Forwindows laptops this is usually easy to do thru a video cable,  an HDMI cable or a USB cable. If you have a MAC or Apple laptop, things can be more difficult to marry the projector's inputs with the Apple's outputs. Most Apple users have to buy a converter of some type. 

I hope this helps. 

Thank you all.

Keep checking Epson's website, as they have refurbished models that offer some great deals on sometimes high end models that most likely are just out of date, or replaced by a newer model. I purchased one several years ago that listed for $3500. and I paid $550. It is still working fine and I do use it quite a bit (and luckily never had to replace the bulb yet.) 

Neilyb wrote:I often use the TV for showing photos. Firstly it is full HD (a 4K TV would be nice ), so I can show images at a reasonable res. I do not need a projection screen. I can copy images to a stick and plug it straight into the Blu Ray player and control the slides with the remote (most TV's these days have USB and SD card slots too).

So, convince the wife you need a 60" 4K TV, every one's a winner

Honestly, if the 4K television does the job, it's going to be cheaper than a projector with equal specs.

I use my HD TV at home for family and friends. When I do programs for groups I use their projector, but often do not like the color adjustments which were preset. I, too, am thinking about a projector for public presentations, but the price for appropriate models turns me off.