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Sound Reinforcement - Forums for Live Sound Professionals - Your Displayed Name Must Be Your Real Full Name To Post In The Live Sound Forums => Pro AV Forum => Topic started by: Joe Seliski on July 20, 2012, 01:38:24 PM

Title: Wide angle projection lens
Post by: Joe Seliski on July 20, 2012, 01:38:24 PM
I have a Sanyo PLC- XM-100  (5000 lumen) projector and I need a shorter throw - anyone have experience with wide angle zoo lenses?  Any substantial image degradation ?  (Sanyo makes the lens)
Title: Wide angle projection lens
Post by: TonyWilliams on July 20, 2012, 04:31:24 PM
Usually the widest throw lenses are a fixed zoom. This may make it difficult to position the projector or screen. The image quality should be just fine.


- Tony Williams
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Title: Re: Wide angle projection lens
Post by: Brad Weber on July 21, 2012, 08:05:03 AM
I have a Sanyo PLC- XM-100  (5000 lumen) projector and I need a shorter throw - anyone have experience with wide angle zoo lenses?  Any substantial image degradation ?  (Sanyo makes the lens)
Well, Sanyo is no longer, it has now been fully merged into Panasonic.  Several Sanyo projector models were slightly modified and added to the Panasonic line under different model numbers but essentially all of the Sanyo projector models are discontinued and limited to what people have in stock.  They have kept spare parts inventory for warranty service but I don't know the status on inventory of items like optional lenses, you may just have to see what dealers and suppliers have in stock.
 
FWIW, Panasonic considers the PT-EX500 as their replacement for the Sanyo PLC-XM100.  You might contact Panasonic to see if the lenses for the PT-EX500 would work with your Sanyo.  You might also want to look at the Eiki LC-XL100 and Christie LX505, those are OEM versions of the PLC-XM100 that Sanyo made for Eiki and Christie and Panasonic is supposedly continuing production of those for some unknown time, so you could check with Eiki and Christie to see if their lenses might work for you.
 
As Tony alluded to, there are wider angle zoon lenses but the very widest angle/short throw projector lenses are usually fixed and require that the projector be located on the horizontal and vertical centerline of the projected image.  In some cases a shorter throw zoom lenses may also be less flexible in their placement than the standard lens, however I don't think that applies to the shorter zoom for your projector.
 
Generally, the short throw lenses don't significantly degrade the image.  They ay be a bit more susceptible to hot spotting in the center of the image and drop off in the corners.  If there are any optical aberrations they also tend to occur in the corners.  And you usually want to try to avoid the combination of wide angle lens with a high gain screen.
Title: Re: Wide angle projection lens
Post by: Tony Mitchell on July 21, 2012, 05:21:13 PM
The Panasonic ET-ELW21 lens is to all intents & purposes the same as a Sanyo LNS-W21 fixed 0.8:1 short throw.

We have both Sanyo PLC-XM150L and Panasonic PT EX600E projectors and use interchange both standard and short throw lenses between units.