Help - who knows something about projectors?

My photography club is having a wee bit of trouble with its projector. We constantly get clipped highlights, no contrast in shadows, etc, so we decided its time to go out and buy a projector.

Question is – what though. The web isn't much help, tells us what we already know in the factors of choosing a projector, no great help really in nailing down a brand or model.

We have taken a test-drive of the Optoma projectors, but for their price, they are actually pretty shitty. More purple fringes than at bingo night at the retirement-home. So what worries me if the top-of-the-range 25k Optoma can't handle a B&W photo without fringing, then what's left?

Anyone has any brands that they know, can recommend? Something we can use in a professional forum? We have a budget, we don't want to buy cheap, we want to get a decent solution, it needs to do the job, and do it properly. We're not spending 25K on a projector that fringes.

(And no, we do not have the budget of a Canon Xeed at about 4,500 Pounds Sterling)

Gerry, I'm a hi-fi dweeb who has a small interest in monitors/projectors as these do form part of a home theatre/hi-fi setup. This may not be of much help, but have you considered in rather investing in a plasma monitor instead of a projector. The reason that I mention this is due to the fact that for a projector image to look at its very best, you need a pitch-black dark room. Even the slightest bit of light can negatively affect image contrast and throw the whole thing out.

A friend of mine went the projector route and invested in one of the Sony range - and is quite satisfied having upgrading from an HP model: http://www.sony.co.za/productcategory/tvp-proj-home-projector

I decided not to invest in a projector for my home theatre setup. Instead I have a Samsung 7000 series 63" Plasma (PS63c7000YR). Slightly more perfect was my previous Pioneer 50" plasma which I got rid of in order to get the bigger Samsung. Sadly Pioneer stopped manufacturing. The positives about the plasma (properly calibrated) is that it looks great whether it be light or dark. Contrast is fine & size wise, it matches my friends Sony projector (and betters it image wise).

If you are hell-bent on getting a projector, an idea could be to try to audition the Sony projectors and select one in which the price/performance ratio is most suitable to you.

Sorry that I can't help with more specific advice.

During my extensive investigation for a projector last year I decided on a Mitsubishi HC4000 http://projector.com/reviews/mitsubishi/hc4000-review.php
For the money I paid it does a brilliant job.
For quite a few bob more the Panasonic PT-AE 4000U is also a class leader.
This will also greatly influence your choice especially as you will watch high res still images. http://www.projectorreviews.com/advice/dlpvslcd/index.php.

Luce watching a movie is like driving an America muscle V8 car, bigger is better! LOL
I use a Panamorhic lens so the image is 2.4m x 1m that is a 102" screen. But you are right I had my eye on the Samsung 7000 63" as a serious contender!

I'm with Luce on the issue. Club photography is typically evaluated at 1024X768. The bulk of projectors on the market can't natively reach that mark. The minute you get to native 1024 or HD the projectors come at a steep price. You also need a very specific room configuration to make this work at its peak. Calibration become a pain as it is done month 1-4 and after that it is assumed to be correct because no one want to sit and wait for a projector to heat up for a hour before calibration. In comparison you can't buy the most basic of TV panels that doesn't support HD for a fraction of the price. With cameras such as the 5DM3 and the D800 with gazillions pixels, it may be time to reconsider projectors and XGA as a base resolution.

Thanks Luce -
TVs are a no-no. the contrast ratio is too high and you do not get a true colour reflection. TVs, especially plasmas, gives you a hyper-real picture. which is cool for watching Period dramas starring Kiera knightly, but for a photohraphic aspect, its not desirable.

In fact, the guys in the know reckon a "data" projector is more useful in a photographic environment than a "cinema" projector.

You are looking on a screen for the same contrast ratio and colour-saturation as one would get on a glossy magazine print.

Pretty - thanks, now thats somethign I can do more research on!

Olaf - current clib standard is 1024x768, yes, but that format is as old as the blueprints God projected to Noah to build his little dinghy, and the future lies in HD. A projector will need to last us a minimum of 5 years, so we have no issues with going HD, in fact, its something of a no-brainer for us. a larger format will be a better option all-round, and the old-fogies cans till pull off their xga format if they want to.

TVs are also too small, and a large enough TV will put you back much more than a projector. Light is not an issue as the venue is totally dark, and calibration is also not an issue, because the de-facto standard is that all projectors must be calibrated before each club meet anyway, so there is no harm done in doing the calibration.

No problem. Let me know what your findings are it will be interesting to know and understand the pros/cons, logic and limitations.
My logic would be get as close to the real-world use of the images as possible considering "83% of all photos snapped last year remain in digital format" it's is safe to assume that most of them get displayed on digital platforms other than projectors (PCs/Tablets/TV/phones etc.)
IMO members will be more concerned to have images look the same @ home and @ the club than any of the tech issues.

heck - if I had my way, I'd get rid of digital altogether and JUST do prints at club-level.

*insert rant about how digital is too easy and real photographers print here.*

I know very little about projectors, I'm guessing the NEC and Epson ones would be great as they are all about colour and calibration etc..

I do have an agency with the supplier of the BenQ projectors and could offer these at dealer price to the club if they were suitable. Very well priced I believe and have XGA, WXGA and HD options with up to 3000 ansi lumens.

So what was the result?

I did presentation last week on photos and video and must say there was very little difference on the Epson projector the client supplied me with