James, May I ask what requirements you specified to evaluate a replacement projector? Reason for asking is that here at Overton PC we’re looking to replace a 5-6 year old Canon SX80. We expect to see a big improvement in contrast ratio as new technologies have improved this from under 1,000:1 to upwards of 100,000:1. All projectors seem to project 1920 x 1200 and light output is still around the 2,000 – 2,500 lumens. Were there any specific criteria you found useful in making your decision? Thanks

James – at Wimborne CC we resolved to replace our Canon SX60 projector for which we had budgeted for some time. Our reasoning was to have an improved projection facility which had the WUXGA capability as we are currently limited to 1400 x 1050. That said, while the capability to project 1920 x 1200 is useful, we remain aware of the preferred image aspect ratio for competition of 4:3 which results in an implied limit of 1600 x 1200 (although this resolution is not yet mandated by PAGB and SCPF). We expect our internal competition rules will be revised to take account of the enhanced projection capability.
We’re not geared for any exhaustive technical comparisons although our working group did review a shortlist of models and we consulted quite widely with other clubs as well as researching some PAGB articles. We were loaned a Canon WUX500 by Projectorpoint and evaluating this alongside our SX60 was certainly an eye-opener! Our decision was made easier by the offer of a PAGB supported discount too. The WUX500 is a superior projector but at a little over £3000 is a major investment for us. If it is as reliable as our SX60 which has served us well for some 10 years we will be even more pleased.