Toronto Photography Meetup Group

So I have been looking around for new monitors to edit images on and I have decided between a few based on all the threads on here and tests ive made in stores, but I wanted to know if anyone here has ever used a projector to edit images and such instead?

A few key features I think would be nice about it would be: a) the massive projected size, b) 1080p with so called true colour and high contrast ratios, and c) freedom of my desktop.

Just wondering everyones thoughts about this idea.

I also watch a lot of films off of my computer so that is another thing that leads me towards a projector.

Recommendations on projectors are also helpful.

Well, i have two projectors and watch a lot of high def movies, but bear in mind that a projector at 1080p is still not as high a resolution as your monitor can handle.

Also, calibrating a projector image to make sure your photos are right would be harder.

lots of good pjs out there, depending on what your budget is.

1080p is higher than both computer monitors I'm currently using. I like the idea of using a projector. I've been viewing/editing on my 1080p 40inch lcd tv lately and it's quite good.

I would budget about 1000-1500 or a monitor but would consider a bit more for a projector, say up to 2200 possibly? That based on my little research will get me something quite mid to high end

I have used my girlfriends 1080p LCD and it is nice to have the image large but its a cheapo TV so its not that good which is why i was thinking a nice projector would be great. also it would be bigger

for the kind of projector that you are looking for, I hate to say it..... but you will spend WAY too much money to get it, and then you have the cost of bulbs which are anywhere from $500 and up, and will need to be replaced every 2500 hours.

A high end monitor is WAY cheaper than a projector would ever be.

How do you colour calibrate a projector? Seeing that the image from projection is reflected light, would you need a very dark room to avoid changes in ambient lighting? Would you need to get a special reflective screen?

Hummm, good for watching movies, I'm thinking not so good for photo editing.

Lxdesign brought up a good point. Replacement bulbs aren't cheap, probably the cost of a 24" LCD monitor. We have 4 decent projectors at work in my dept, (they're not 1080p versions) and it costs $360 for a bulb. Seeing that when I sit down to edit my shots, I'm editing anywhere from 2-10hrs. That's got to be a lot of wear on the bulb, not to mention the heat. From when I was looking into HD projectors, you're looking at spending about $3500 or so for a 1080p projector with good contrast ratio. Check the MTBF for the lamp life, some are just 4000hrs.

Some food for thought I guess.

Unfortunately (consumer) projector technology has two target markets...the office (PowerPoint) market, and the home theatre market...and neither cares about accurate digital image reproduction. While some companies are starting to look at the photographic market, the technology is still in its infancy, and that includes calibration technology.

There are some projectors that do have (some) AdobeRGB compatibility, but you're looking at least $6000 (Canon SX6).

The big thing about projectors is you have a light shinning on/through a display chip...even at 0-0-0 black you never will get 100% black!

I show people's images regularly through a projector for a camera club, and there's complaints every week from people who say that the images through the projector don't look as good as their calibrated monitor.

If you are a lecturer and regularly show your images via a projector, do a final edit via the projector to get the colour accuracy you want...but if you want to get a projector to replace your monitor, it's not worth the headaches, not to mention the added expense when the lightbulb blows!

$2200 will get you a fairly decent 1080p projector, but that won't include the screen. I'd much rather get two 24" HP LP2475W's for under $1400 total. Those are wide-gamut displays, which you won't get in a $2200 projector. It is also a hassle calibrating a projector, and you are not going to get good enough black levels unless you keep the room very dark or splurge on something like a Black Diamond screen for another $2000 (and that's for their smallest size).


Why would bigger be better for photo editing? A 24" display from 2 feet away will occupy the same field of view as a 120" projection screen from 10 feet away. And with an LCD monitor, you can keep room illumination levels at a comfortable level, it can be easily calibrated, has higher resolution (1920x1200 vs 1920x1080), takes up less room, and costs much less.

Well, sitting in a recliner with my laptop hooked up to an 1080p lcd tv about 8 feet away switching between editing and watching the hockey game is ideal - at least for today.

My Dell S-IPS monitor has both computer and video inputs...not only can I toggle between TV and computer, I can have PIP, and even both on the screen the same size (splitscreen).

We have a couple of projectors here which are XVGA resolution (not 1080) and they are the best projectors I have seen yet in terms of colour calibration for showing images. Sanyo PLC-XP56.

Mike is right about blacks - you will never get a true black from a projector. These projectors were $10,000 each plus $3000 for the long throw lenses. Add in the cost of lamp replacement at $700... and you have one fricken expensive projector! But, hey..... if you need 5000 lumens, then that's the cost. They have probably come down in cost over the last couple of years, but still darn expensive compared to the best display monitors.

That's a lot to take in that I didn't really think about. I suppose I will just be getting a nice big moniter then.

Or maybe I will just get both... Use the moniter for photos and what not and then a mid range projector for movies.