Projector suggestions?

[Clixphoto]

I am in the market for a projector to use for presentations of my photography. I would like to keep the price under $500 if possible and still maintain good quality. I'm not sure what bells and whistles they come with or which ones I would need. Of course image quality is most important but I would also like something simple to use. I would also like the ability to project on a wall without a screen.

Any suggestions?

[Clixphoto]

Anybody have a projector?

[Art Scott]

the main thing about a digital projector is the lumens...the more lumens the less dark a room needs to be and the farther from a screen or wall you can be.
No I do not own one but for the time I worked at Wichita State University as Performance Facilities Manager, we used a lot of projextors for surtitles for the operas
and other foreign language events......and for showing other power point slide shows for International Student events, homeland security Seminar on Terrorism
and Explosives (SEMTEX) {wonder who thought that one up and what did it cost us tax payers}........we had to have the most lumens possible and at that time
300-500 lumens was the norm and not powerful enuff.

That is all I can help with......................

[gecko0]

I've dealt with projectors quite a bit in a work environment (conference room/auditorium/pc use). Most of our current projectors are a minimum 2500 lumens, some 3000, 3500, or 4000. As Art said, it depends on the ambient light in the room. For an average size conference room with the lights remaining on, it takes a pretty bright projector (3000+ lumens) to provide a decent image that isn't washed out. If you're going to be in control of the lighting and have the projector close to the screen/wall, then you can get away with much lower power. Sanyos are what we use at work (dozens of them) and I haven't heard of a single failure for years. The cost is in the bulbs...those are not cheap (~$350-$400 each) and they are rated at 2000 hours.

.02

[Newsy]

These two sites have a lot of info on various projectors whether it be for business presentations or for home theater. Hopefully you can find something that will work for you. $500 may be a little low for a budget for something that will be bright enough and offer the resolution you need.

http://www.projectorreviews.com/

http://www.projectorcentral.com/

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