Projector Lens

There are several types of lens applicable to your uses for your projector depending on the venue. If you’re in a small conference room, you probably only need to cast an image between 3 and 6 feet; however, if your name is Steve Jobs and your product is the iPod and your audience is everyone, everywhere, all over the world (and your projection audience in an amphitheater is maybe 500-2000, then you’ll need something much more substantial. So the lens in your projector focuses not only the light from your unit but also the message you’re sending out.

If you’re dealing with standard projector lens then you’re probably operating under a fairly standardized set of parameters (1-2:1) or one to two yards of distance from the screen for every one yard of image. Your projector could also be set at (2-3:1) which means that you’d need 2-3 yards of distance for every one yard of image. These are all things you should find out from your manufacturer before you buy your unit.

There are also other types of lenses you may be operating with. These include:

Long Throw Lens: A long throw lens is a lens which is used to reduce an image size to fit a smaller screen size when the projector is a long ways away; the lens needs to make a “long throw” to the distant screen. You will often find this type of lens used in a church as their equipment may be mounted up and away from its target screen.

Short Throw Lens: A short throw lens, as you may imagine, is the opposite of what a long throw lens is. If you have a projector mounted quite close to its target screen you can use the short throw lens to project a much larger image with significantly less distance to its target.

Zoom Lens: A zoom lens may be used in either a manual or automatic setting. This is the type of lens which allows you to project smaller or larger images from an equal distant point from the destination.

The search for the best projector lens continues but if you’re looking for a projector lens cheap you may want to check out the internet. There are plenty of places online where you can find inexpensive, used, or even newer model discount lenses where there is always plenty of selection available.

Make sure to do the proper research and find out what the full capabilities of your lens is and the places you’ll most be using your projector before you make your purchase.